Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli authorities have admitted to burying the body of Palestinian child Wadie Shadi Alian (14 years old) in a “numbers cemetery” months ago without informing his family.
The admission came after more than two years of withholding the body. According to the Israeli prosecution, authorities buried the 14-year-old on October 29, 2025, despite issuing the burial decision on October 22. The family and their lawyer received no notification.
In a submission to the Israeli Supreme Court, the prosecution said the body had been buried “around six months ago.” This statement came in response to a legal petition filed by the family.
Israeli Border Police shot and killed Wadie Alian on February 5, 2024, near the entrance of al-Eizariya, east of Jerusalem. Video footage circulated at the time showed officers shooting him while he lay on the ground.
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Israeli authorities claimed that the child attempted a stabbing attack against a border police officer. However, widely shared footage appeared to show him being shot from behind while fleeing and posing no immediate threat.
The family later submitted additional footage to the court. The video appears to show a second fatal shot fired while the boy lay motionless on the ground.
Since his killing, Israeli authorities have refused to return his body to his family for burial.
Despite the child’s age and the circumstances of his death, the Israeli Supreme Court accepted the state’s position to withhold his body. The court allowed authorities to use it as a bargaining chip in potential future prisoner exchange negotiations with the Palestinian resisrance.
The decision relied on classified materials submitted by the state. The court affirmed the authority of the military commander to order the temporary detention or burial of bodies.
Israeli officials claimed that withholding bodies serves a “legitimate purpose.” They said it could help secure the return of Israeli soldier prisoners and bodies held in Gaza. Authorities also claimed that Alian’s case does not qualify for exceptions under a previous cabinet decision.
Human rights groups have long criticized Israel’s policy of withholding Palestinian bodies and burying some in so-called secret “numbers cemeteries,” where graves carry numbers instead of names.
This practice violates several international agreements, including the United Nations Convention Against Torture, to which Israel is a party.
In June 2016, the UN Committee Against Torture called on Israel to return bodies to families without delay. In 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns that the policy may amount to collective punishment and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law.
Legal and human rights organizations say this case reflects a broader, systematic policy. Israeli authorities have withheld the bodies of Palestinians, including citizens of Israel and residents of the eastern part of Jerusalem, for leverage in negotiations.
According to Defense for Children International – Palestine, Israel was holding the bodies of more than 45 Palestinian children as of February 2025. Families remain unable to bury them according to their religious and cultural traditions.
The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center reported that Israel held 668 bodies as of May 2025.
