Israeli authorities release body of slain Palestinian child held since March

The Israeli authorities have released the body of a Palestinian child named Salim Sami Salim Faqha, who was killed by Israeli fire in March 2026. Faqha was shot dead near Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. Another boy was injured in the attack. The Israeli military has withheld Faqha's body from his family since the incident. The General Authority of Civil Affairs received the child's body at the Ein Sinya checkpoint and transferred it to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, preparing for his burial in his hometown later that day.

Israel has a policy of withholding the bodies of Palestinians, often killing them in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip before taking possession of their remains. Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned this practice, demanding the immediate release and return of the victims to their families. Israel has withheld the bodies of approximately 1,700 Palestinians for potential use in future exchange deals, despite no Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.

While Israeli law permits the retention of Palestinian bodies, international humanitarian law explicitly prohibits such actions, stating that the dead must be treated with dignity, buried honorably, and buried according to their religious rites if possible.