HEBRON, January 2, 2016 (WAFA) – At least 12 Palestinians were shot and injured with rubber baton rounds, whereas dozens others suffocated by tear gas used against them by the Israeli army during clashes that erupted in the town of Beit Ummar, as well as at Bab al-Zawyeh area in the Hebron district.
Spokesperson of the anti settlement popular committee in Beit Ummar, Mohammed Awad, informed WAFA that clashes erupted between Israeli armed soldiers and unarmed Palestinians, following the procession of 17 Palestinians who were killed by Israel after alleged or confirmed attacks against Israeli targets.
Forces reportedly used rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas against mourners, shooting and injuring 12 with rubber bullets in Beit Ummar, and causing the suffocation of dozens others in both clashes.
On Friday, The Israeli side released the bodies of 17 Palestinians from Hebron who were killed during the past three months of violent unrest, and which the former has been withholding from their families since their death; a step that was widely condemned by international human rights organizations, including by the Israeli human rights center, B’Tselem, which slammed Israel’s policy of withholding Palestinian suspects’ bodies as ‘immoral’.
B’Tselem considered this policy a violation of human dignity; therefore, it is unjustified to hold Palestinians’ dead bodies, adding that the policy is not only morally wrong, but also undervalues Palestinians and their families.
To be noted, ‘the Knesset agreed
to the proposal put forth by the Israeli internal security minister Gilad Erdan
to not hand over the bodies of Palestinians who were allegedly involved in stabbing
attacks to their families,’ said the Middle East monitor.
Not only does Israel withhold the bodies of Palestinians’ suspects, but it also reportedly freezes their bodies under extremely low degrees. “Israel freezes the bodies of the Palestinian martyrs in mortuaries held at -35 degrees which prevents autopsy for 24 to 48 hours,” Head of Al-Quds University's Institute for Forensic Medicine, Saber al-Aloul told Maan News Agency.
“The freezing prevents autopsy results that document the crime, which means a loss of important information for bringing Israel in front of the International Criminal Court,” al-Aloul told Ma’an.
T.R.
