Occupied West Bank (QNN)- Israelis in the occupied West Bank forced a Palestinian family to exhume the body of their 80-year-old father just hours after his burial, in an attempt to steal land and establish a settlement outpost.
The tragedy began when Israelis from the nearby “Sa-Nur” settlement attacked a funeral procession. They threw stones and smashed vehicles, despite the presence of Israeli army forces at the scene.
After the burial ceremony ended, residents were shocked when settlers moved toward the cemetery and began digging up the grave. When locals tried to defend the dignity of the deceased, Israeli forces blocked their access. They also threatened the family that the body would be removed and discarded without dignity unless it was urgently relocated, claiming the cemetery was close to the “Tarsala” settlement outpost.
Under this pressure and threats, seven young men from the family were forced to exhume the body and transfer it for reburial in the nearby village of Funduqomiya.
The incident is part of a series of violent violations carried out by Israelis against residents of villages and towns in the West Bank.
Reports stressed that these practices are no longer limited to restricting people in their homes and lands, but have expanded to violate the sanctity of the dead and their right to be buried with dignity in their own land, which they have owned for decades.
The incident took place near Sa-Nur, one of several settlements evacuated in Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan. Israeli authorities later approved its re-establishment, and construction has accelerated in recent months. This situation currently forces Palestinians to obtain Israeli permits to bury their dead there, a requirement the family had complied with earlier that same day.
The UN Human Rights Office strongly condemned the incident. United Nations Human Rights Office official Ajith Sunghay described the event as deeply disturbing and said it reflected the dehumanization of Palestinians in the occupied territory.
