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Israel buries Palestinians in numbered graves

Three years after he was killed by Israel near the Gaza border, the body of a 16-year-old Palestinian was returned to his family, reviving controversy of Israel’s so-called cemeteries of numbers.
An elderly Palestinian walks through a cemetery in Hebron, with in the background an old market building along al-Shuhada Street that was designated by Israel to be a new settlement, with existing settler buildings behind, West Bank, Jan. 28, 2020.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli authorities returned April 22 the body of Youssef Abu Jazar, a 16-year-old Palestinian who was killed on the Gaza border with Israel while taking part in the return marches called for by Palestinian factions between March 30, 2018, and December 2019.

Jasser Abu Jazar, Youssef’s father, said his son was shot dead on April 29, 2018, during one of the the peaceful marches, noting that the Israeli army had detained his body for three years. The family was informed about the death of their son by the Israeli army via the Palestinian liaison office the day after his killing.

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