Israeli settlers force Palestinian family to exhume and rebury their father

"An 80-year-old Palestinian man, Hussein Asasa, died of natural causes on Friday and was buried shortly after in a cemetery in Asasa village near Jenin. His son, Mohammed, said the burial had been coordinated in advance with Israeli security forces, which provided all necessary permits. However, shortly after the burial, settlers threatened the Asasa family, ordering them to exhume the body, claiming it had been buried on land that formed part of an Israeli settlement."

"Under international law, such settlements are considered illegal and are not recognised as Israeli territory. They said the land was for settlement and that burial was not allowed. We told them that this is the village's cemetery, not part of the settlement, Mohammed Asasa said. The family was left with no choice but to comply with the settlers' demands after they threatened to use a bulldozer to exhume the body themselves."

"According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli soldiers were present during the confrontation and also pressured the family to bury their loved one elsewhere. We found that they [the settlers] already dug the grave and reached the body, Asasa said. We continued digging and got the body and buried him in another cemetery. The Israeli military has denied giving reburial instructions to the family, saying soldiers were sent to the area after receiving reports of a confrontation involving settlers."

"The UN Human Rights Office condemned what happened. This is appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians'. The UN condemns confrontation in occupied West Bank as appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians."

An 80-year-old Palestinian man, Hussein Asasa, died of natural causes and was buried in a cemetery in Asasa village near Jenin. His son, Mohammed, said burial arrangements were coordinated in advance with Israeli security forces, including permits. After the burial, settlers threatened the family and ordered them to exhume the body, claiming the burial was on land belonging to an Israeli settlement. The family said the burial was in the village cemetery, but they complied after threats to use a bulldozer. Palestinian news reported Israeli soldiers were present and pressured the family to rebury elsewhere. The Israeli military denied instructing reburial, saying soldiers arrived after reports of a confrontation and confiscated digging tools to prevent further friction. The UN Human Rights Office condemned the incident as dehumanising.

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