Occupation returns body of Palestinian from Gaza 3 years after his martyrdom during arrest

The Israeli occupation returned the body of a Palestinian from Gaza three years after his martyrdom while in Israeli military custody, following a legal struggle with the help of the "Gisha-Meshek" organization.

The Israeli occupation returned on Thursday the body of a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip, three years after his martyrdom while in Israeli military custody. The martyr, named Sumur, a father of four, had worked in Israel under a work permit for about a year and a half. After the outbreak of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, his permit was revoked as part of the comprehensive cancellation of permits for Gaza residents, and he was arrested in the mass arrest waves carried out by Israeli authorities. He was martyred a few days after his arrest under circumstances that remain unclear, and his family received no official notification, learning of it from other workers who were detained with him. The return of the body came after a long legal struggle by the family with the help of the "Gisha-Meshek" organization, which began in November 2023 and continued with a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court in February 2026. The petition stated that the continued detention of the body is without any legal basis and constitutes a severe violation of the rights of the martyr and his family members to dignity and proper burial.