Israel: The State That Kidnaps the Dead—Storing Bodies in Refrigerators as an Unforgivable Crime Against Humanity. 

In a world that talks about human rights and justice, Israel continues to top the list of ethical violations in the most horrific way imaginable. It’s not enough for Israel to imprison and kill Palestinians mercilessly; its reach extends even beyond death, stealing bodies and placing them in refrigerators as if reveling in the control over their fates, even after their souls have departed. This is the policy of body detention—a unique crime in modern times that Israel carries out without shame or consequence.

Body Detention: A Brutal Policy in Its Most Aggressive Form

For decades, Israel has committed one of the most heinous crimes against humanity: the abduction of the bodies of martyrs and prisoners after their deaths. A state that kidnaps the living, unjustly imprisons them, and forcibly takes their lives does not stop at merely extinguishing their souls. It also robs them of their dignity after death. Israel treats their bodies like cold political tools in its morgue refrigerators, as if they are not human but mere numbers and bargaining chips.

As of August 2024, Israeli authorities are holding 552 bodies of Palestinians in both morgue refrigerators and “numbered cemeteries.” This includes 256 bodies in these cemeteries and 296 held in refrigerators since the policy resumed in 2015. The detainees include nine women, 32 prisoners, and 55 children under 18. These numbers, however, do not include bodies from Gaza, where the figure is estimated to be much higher .

International Law Trampled Underfoot

Since the signing of the Geneva Conventions, which regulate the treatment of prisoners and bodies after death, the world has not seen a country like Israel openly flout these agreements so flagrantly. Article 130 of the Fourth Geneva Convention obliges states to treat prisoners with dignity, even after death, and to hand over their bodies to their families. But Israel, a state that recognizes only its own racist laws, blatantly disregards these obligations without fear of accountability.

Even worse, Israel defends this policy as a “deterrent” against Palestinian resistance! How can a human body become a tool in a dirty political game? This is the true face of Israeli occupation—one that not only seizes land and kills innocents but also violates the sanctity of the dead.

Accumulating Crimes and a Shameful International Silence

More than 550 bodies of Palestinian prisoners are being held, some stored in refrigerators for years. Can one even comprehend such cruelty? What is the purpose of holding bodies after life has left them? The answer is simple: it is a message of intimidation to Palestinian families, a silent message from Israel: “Your children are not safe, neither in life nor in death.” This is occupation at its ugliest.

In this dark scenario, where is the international community? Where are the human rights organizations? Where are the states that claim to defend human rights? The international silence around this crime is a complicit participation in an organized crime against the Palestinian people.

International Calls: Are They Just Empty Words?

Despite repeated international condemnations, Israel continues its policy of body detention without any regard. The UN Human Rights Council has issued clear resolutions demanding that Israel return the bodies of Palestinian martyrs to their families, but nothing has changed. In fact, Israel proudly declares that these bodies are a form of leverage over Palestinians. If this is their “deterrence,” what remains of humanity?

The International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly called on Israel to end these practices, but a state backed unconditionally by some global powers seems to care little about anything other than continuing to oppress Palestinians—right down to the grave.

Families Living in Hell

Detaining the bodies of martyrs and prisoners is not just a violation of international rights; it is a deep wound for Palestinian families. Families of the martyrs live in an unending tragedy, deprived of the right to bury and say farewell to their loved ones as any human being should. Every day that passes without the return of the bodies renews the crime against these families.

The deadly waiting and constant anxiety are all tools of psychological torture deliberately practiced by Israel. This policy turns death itself into a battlefield without ethics or limits, where the body of the martyr becomes a hostage in an inhumane and boundless conflict.