Israel to release bodies of 9 Palestinian attackers to their families

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the state to release the bodies of nine Palestinians who carried attacks against Israelis in recent months to their families.

The families of the Palestinians, who reside in East Jerusalem, appealed several months ago Israel's Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan's decision to hold on to their bodies, after they were gunned down in response to committing attacks against Israelis in the ongoing wave of violence.

After the state's representatives in the discussion removed their previous objections to release the bodies, the Supreme Court justices ordered to release them until early June, prior to the celebration of the Muslim Ramadan holiday.

Israeli authorities have sometimes withheld bodies of Palestinian attackers, mainly in order to prevent big gatherings to commemorate the attackers which may encourage more attacks, amid the ongoing wave of violence which started in October. The Palestinians and Israeli human rights group charge this move constitutes collective punishment.

Israel had in recent months returned dozens of bodies of Palestinian attackers to the West Bank.

The country had also used other means to deter Palestinians from carrying out attacks, including the controversial move of demolishing homes of Palestinian attackers, along with limited military operations in the West Bank to capture suspects in militant activity and shutting down radio stations that were suspected of having "incitement" to violence.

Nearly 200 Palestinians and 28 Israelis have been killed in clashes since October. Endit