West Bank Settlers Forced Palestinian Family to Dig Up Recently Buried Father
A group of Israeli settlers forced a Palestinian family in the Beita village near Nablus, in the West Bank, to dig up their recently buried father, residents and rights groups say. The BBC has verified video of the incident; the Israeli military says it has opened an investigation.
Family members told the BBC the 70-year-old father died of a heart attack on Saturday and was buried in the village cemetery the same afternoon. By Sunday lunchtime, settlers had reportedly entered the cemetery armed and forced the family to move the body.
The BBC Verify team said it has authenticated the location and timing of the video, which spread on social media, using AI-assisted image analysis. The footage shows the settlers parking a vehicle at the cemetery entrance, after which the family carried the father's body away from the grave on a tarpaulin.
The Israeli military said it had identified 'suspected violations' and that a military prosecutor's investigation has begun. The Palestinian Authority called the incident a 'war crime' and said it is preparing a UN submission. The EU's high representative for foreign affairs also called for 'immediate accountability' in a statement.
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