The “Maan” news agency reported a statement from the Jerusalem Governorate, expressing its condemnation of the decision issued on July 31, 2025. The statement considered that “the retention of the body for negotiation purposes is a blatant violation of ethical and humanitarian standards, undermines the dignity of the martyrs, increases the suffering of their families, and reveals the occupation’s policy towards Jerusalemites.” According to the governorate, the court relied on “secret materials” to justify its decision. This was in response to a petition submitted by the “Adalah” legal center last year, demanding the release of the body. The governorate affirmed that “these practices constitute a clear breach of international humanitarian law, particularly Article 130 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which requires respecting the bodies of the deceased and identifying and preserving their graves.” The governorate clarified that “currently, 47 bodies of martyrs from Jerusalem are held, 41 of whom have been held since 2015, in addition to 6 bodies in the cemeteries of numbers. The oldest belongs to martyr Jaser Shatat, held since 1968, while the latest is Moataz Al-Hajla (21 years old), who was martyred on June 18 last month.” The Jerusalem Governorate described the continuation of this policy as “an open wound in Palestinian memory and a stigma on the forehead of the occupation.” The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported yesterday, Sunday, stating that “the man and his son are accused of carrying out an attack on a club in the east, as well as killing a pilot,” and noted that “laboratories used by the suspects to prepare explosive devices were found.”
