Israel holds bodies of 17 Palestinian prisoners: Local NGO

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israeli authorities have been holding the bodies of at least 17 Palestinian prisoners for years, a Palestinian nongovernmental organization said on Wednesday.

The oldest is the body of Anis Douleh, who has been held since 1980, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement.

The remaining bodies have been held since 2018, it added.

Israel also holds the bodies of six prisoners who died of torture after Oct. 7, including a citizen from the Gaza Strip whose identity is not known, according to the NGO.

Israeli daily Haaretz said Monday that several Palestinians held by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip died inside a detention center in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel.

The circumstances of their death remain unclear and an investigation has been launched.

The number of Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank has risen to 4,575 since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian figures.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

At least 19,667 people have been killed and 52,586 others injured ever since, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity, Israeli authorities said.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio