Martyr Mohammad Abu Khalaf buried in Jerusalem after his body was detained for 6 months
The body of 20-year old Martyr Mohammad Abu Khalaf was released last Tuesday and buried in the city of Jerusalem after being detained in the occupation’s freezers for 6 months.
The occupation forces turned the streets surround Al-Mujahedeen Cemetery (Salah Eddin Street and Herod’s Gate) into a military camp and evacuate them from pedestrians and prevented vehicles from going through. They placed iron barriers in the streets concurrently with raiding the cemetery and searching it before the arrival of the vehicle transporting the body of Martyr Abu Khalaf.
The Israeli police detained the Martyr’s family at the entrance of Salah Eddin Street and prevented anyone whose name was not the list from entering the cemetery.
The forces also moved press crews away from the cemetery and the streets leading to it and forced them to stay in one of the streets near Wad Al-Joz and placed iron barriers around them to prevent them from documenting the releasing process.
The lawyer of prisoners’ affairs, Mohammad Mahmoud, explained that the Israeli forces released the body of Martyr Abu Khalaf at the gate of Al-Mujahedeen Cemetery in the presence of only 25 family members.
Postponing the releasing of the Martyr’s body
The family of Martyr Abu Khalaf explained that their son’s body was supposed to be released on Monday but was postponed until Tuesday early morning as the Israeli intelligence refused to have his grave next to the graves to Martyrs Thaer Abu Ghazaleh and Baha’ Alayan and requested to find him another grave which the family actually did.
After burying the Martyr’s body, his mother along with other family members visited the place where he passed away in the area of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem after being shot with more than 50 bullets under the pretext of attempting to stab a soldier.
His mother said: “Despite the difficulty of the situation and the pain of burying a son, but we are proud today to celebrate Mohammad who passed 200 days ago and bury him. His memories are at the house and we remember him in everything. Mohammad is with us at every moment. We buried him and prayed for him”.
Detaining 12 Martyrs’ bodies
After releasing the body of Martyr Abu Khalaf, the occupation authorities continue to detain the bodies of 12 Palestinians Martyrs that passed away during the most recent popular uprising. Among them are two Jerusalemites Martyrs; Abdel Muhsen Hassouneh and Mustafa Nimer. Five Martyrs are from Hebron, they are: Sara Tarayra, Majd Khdour, Mohammad Tarayra, Mustafa Barad’yeh and Mohammad Faqeeh. Wael Abu Saleh and Ansar Harsheh from Tulkarem, Abdel Hameed Sroor from Bethlehem, Rami Awartani from Nablus and Sari Abu Ghurab from Jenin.
