Israeli strategy works: Father of dead terrorist: Israel holding the bodies is worse than the death of a son
Muhammad Alyan, father of terrorist murderer Baha Alyan: “If [the pain of] Martyrdom-death itself were placed on one side of the scales, and [the pain of the body] being held [by Israel] were placed on the other, then [the body] being held would tip the scales. These are two very painful experiences. The first is the surprising loss, the surprising bereavement. The Martyr’s father doesn’t know that his son will ascend [to Heaven]” …
Official PA TV host: “Every family of a Martyr whose body is being held [by Israel] asks the question: What is the fate of his body? Was he actually killed as a Martyr? Has he been buried? Is he in the [morgue] refrigerators? Where have the occupation forces put these bodies?” …
Muhammad Alyan: “This is what troubles the Martyrs’ families, and this is the source of the uncertainty… First, they are uncertain regarding the death… The occupation authorities… inform the relevant Palestinian authorities that there is a Martyr, but they don’t allow anyone… to see the body, and they don’t inform us where he is buried … Were our sons actually buried in temporary cemeteries, or were they left in the refrigerators? We still don’t know …And the most difficult condition is… that the family is not allowed to examine the body... [When Israel returned my son’s body] they made us hold the burial within an hour… I think that this condition frightens us greatly, because we don’t know the destiny of our sons even in the refrigerators and the numbered cemeteries. Are the bodies being harmed? … [International] law bans holding any body… In my research, I claim that this is like the crime of torture. Holding the body is torture for the family. The family remains in a state of daily torture until the body is handed over. There is no security or political justification for holding the body, other than [the wish] to torture the family and punish the family.”
Israel holds the bodies of dead terrorists as a deterrent to discourage others from becoming terrorists and as assets to secure the release of the bodies of Israeli soldiers held by Palestinian terrorist organizations. The fear of not receiving a proper burial as a “Martyr” or the fear of leaving suffering parents behind, may deter some from becoming terrorists. The subject of holding the bodies of terrorists was adjudicated before a special panel of 7 judges in Israel’s Supreme Court and approved.
The Cemeteries for Enemy Casualties (numbered cemeteries) are two burial sites maintained by the Israeli army for burying the bodies of enemy soldiers during wartime as well as terrorists. They are fenced and well-marked. Graves have markers instead of gravestones. Burial is temporary, as the bodies are eventually returned to their countries of origin. No ceremony is held. The bodies are buried in numbered caskets after their identities are documented.