Israel holding bodies of 1,700 Palestinians as bargaining chips, says report

Israel is holding the dead bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians as potential bargaining chips despite there being no Israeli hostages currently held by Palestinian armed groups, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported. According to the report, Shin Bet chief David Zini has urged Israel to retain the remains for possible use in future hostage negotiations, a position supported by the Israeli military. Haaretz reported that most of the remains belong to Palestinian combatants involved in the Hamas-led 7 October attack in 2023 but also include Palestinian civilians and 13 Israeli citizens. Legal sources cited by Haaretz argue that Israel lacks the authority to hold the remains of Palestinian non-combatants, as the decision is not backed by Security Cabinet policy.