Israeli Settlers Force Palestinian Family to Exhume Father's Body for Reburial
Al Jazeera Staff
A Palestinian family in the West Bank was forced by Israeli settlers, under military protection, to exhume and rebury their 80-year-old father's body after his burial in a village cemetery. The UN Human Rights Office condemned the act as 'cruel and emblematic of dehumanization.' Settler violence has surged since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
A Palestinian family in the village of Asasa near Jenin, West Bank, was forced by Israeli settlers to exhume and rebury their father's body, with Israeli troops present. The incident occurred on May 9, 2026, after Hussein Asasa, 80, died of natural causes and was buried in the village cemetery following prior coordination with Israeli security forces and with all necessary permits.
Immediately after the burial, settlers threatened the Asasa family, demanding they dig up the body, claiming the burial land belonged to an Israeli settlement. International law considers such settlements illegal and does not recognize them as Israeli territory. The victim's son, Mohammed Asasa, said: 'They said this land belongs to the settlement and burial is not allowed. We said this is the village cemetery, not part of the settlement.'
The family had no choice but to comply after the settlers threatened to use bulldozers to excavate the grave themselves. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli soldiers were present during the confrontation and also pressured the family to bury their relative elsewhere. Mohammed Asasa said: 'We saw them (the settlers) digging the grave and reaching the body. We continued digging, took the body, and buried it in another cemetery.'
The Israeli military denied ordering the family to rebury the body, stating they dispatched soldiers to the area after receiving reports of a confrontation involving settlers. The military said it confiscated digging tools from the settlers and remained at the scene to 'prevent further tensions.'
The UN Human Rights Office condemned the act. Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR in Palestine, said: 'This is cruel and emblematic of the dehumanization of Palestinians we see taking place across the occupied Palestinian territories. It spares no one, dead or alive.'
Settler attacks have increased since Israel launched its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023. On May 9, settlers carried out several attacks across the West Bank, assaulting a child and burning homes and cars. In February 2026, Amnesty International warned that global impunity is driving Israel's illegal annexation of the West Bank, an area considered vital for a future Palestinian state, and accused Israel of 'brazenly' expanding illegal settlements.
