Israeli authorities are withholding the body of deceased Palestinian activist Walid Daqqa as a bargaining chip for negotiations with Hamas, following a recent US ceasefire proposal approved by the UN Security Council. Daqqa, a respected activist and author, died of cancer while serving a lengthy prison sentence in Israel. Despite his death on April 7th, his body has not been released to his family. Convicted in 1987 of commanding a PFLP cell that killed an Israeli soldier, Daqqa maintained his innocence throughout his 38-year imprisonment.
His deteriorating health and unjust extension of his sentence sparked widespread calls for his release. The Israeli government’s decision to hold the bodies of Palestinian citizens involved in attacks until an overarching policy is determined has led to Adala filing a petition against the move. This marks the first time the policy has been applied to a Palestinian citizen of Israel, expanding on a previous 2020 Supreme Court ruling regarding bodies from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.