Israeli govt to hold onto bodies of Palestinian martyrs

The Israeli Cabinet on Monday said it would retain the bodies of martyred Palestinians despite a court ruling prohibiting the practice.

The Cabinet decision comes four days after Israel's High Court ruled in favor of the families of Palestinian martyrs seeking the release of the bodies of their slain relatives still held by Israel.

The implementation of the ruling, however, was suspended for a six-month period to give the Israeli authorities an opportunity to pass fresh legislation allowing them to hold onto the bodies with a view to exerting pressure on Palestinian resistance groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has criticized the High Court ruling, describing it as "very problematic".

"We shouldn't give Hamas free gifts," he tweeted on Thursday after the court delivered its verdict.

Netanyahu went on to call for a Cabinet meeting to discuss "practical and legal" means of "applying pressure on Hamas".

The Israeli authorities are currently holding bodies of 259 Palestinian martyrs, according to figures issued by a civil-society campaign devoted to recovering the bodies of Palestinians slain by Israel.