Israel's body-withholding policy turns Palestinians into terrorists – even in their death

The body of Khaled Hassan was held by the state for eight months, although he was not suspected of any crime. He was shot and killed by police fire – authorities had held the body of someone who had done no wrong as a tool of control and punishment

Haaretz
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Israel's body-withholding policy turns Palestinians into terrorists – even in their death

The body of Khaled Hassan was held by the state for eight months, although he was not suspected of any crime. He was shot and killed by police fire – authorities had held the body of someone who had done no wrong as a tool of control and punishment

Hadeel Abu Salih

11:39 PM • May 12 2026 IDT

The body of Khaled Hassan was held by the state for eight months. For eight months, his family lived in uncertainty, and was unable to part from him and bury him, or even to know what exactly happened to him. Only after the filing of an urgent petition, which was first brought to court last week, did the police report that it intended to release his body. This case isn't a specific mishap; it's a reflection of a broader and more disturbing policy: holding bodies as a tool of control and punishment, while emptying the rule of law of any genuine content.

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