A Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank said Israeli settlers forced them to exhume and rebury their father shortly after his burial near the village of Asasa, south of Jenin, on May 9.
According to relatives, settlers arrived at the cemetery under Israeli military protection and began digging around the grave, claiming the burial site was too close to the nearby Israeli settlement of Sa-Nur. Fearing the grave would be desecrated further, The family said they were forced to remove and rebury the body elsewhere after threats from settlers. Witnesses said settlers threw stones and shouted at mourners during the incident. Videos circulating online appeared to show armed settlers near the gravesite while family members carried out the exhumation.
The incident sparked outrage among Palestinians and human rights groups, with critics describing it as part of increasing settler pressure and intimidation in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations human rights office reportedly described the case as a “despicable” example of growing dehumanisation against Palestinians in the territory.
