Israel is holding the bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians with an eye to possible future prisoner exchanges, according to allegations reported by the Israeli daily Haaretz on Tuesday, citing two sources who did not wish to be named. The claim could not be independently verified.
According to the report, the matter was recently discussed within Israel’s security establishment. The head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, David Zini, has taken the position that Palestinian bodies should be held for a possible future exchange should any Israeli citizen be detained or go missing, the report said. The Israeli military is also said to support this stance.
Earlier, in October 2025, a Palestinian rights organisation said Israel was holding the bodies of about 1,500 Palestinians killed in Gaza at the Sde Teiman military facility.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 1,258 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025. The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023 has passed 73,000.
The holding of Palestinian bodies has long been a source of deep humanitarian and psychological anguish for the families of the dead. Various Palestinian rights groups have been demanding that the bodies be returned so relatives can be buried with proper religious and family rites.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report