Shock for the family of Jerusalem martyr Wadih Alian: The occupation secretly buries him in 'cemeteries of numbers'

The family of Jerusalem martyr Wadih Alian is experiencing a severe shock after two years of bitter waiting, following their discovery that the occupation authorities had transferred their child's body from detention refrigerators to what is known as 'cemeteries of numbers'. This shocking revelation came through an official response from the Israeli Public Prosecution to a petition submitted by the legal center for the protection of the rights of the Arab minority, 'Adalah', shattering the family's hopes of burying their son in a manner befitting his betrayed childhood.\n\nLegal documents showed that the burial took place on October 29, 2025, based on a decision made a week before implementation without notifying the family or the legal team following the case. The family considered this procedure to be an escalation of psychological torment and a deliberate deprivation of the right to a final farewell and to close the circle of grief that began since Wadih's cold-blooded execution.\n\nChild Wadih Alian, 14 years old, was martyred on February 5, 2024, by occupation forces' bullets near the entrance to the town of Al-Eizariya, east of occupied Jerusalem. The occupation authorities claimed at the time that he was attempting a stabbing operation, a pretext used by the occupation to justify field killings and the detention of bodies for long periods.\n\nShadi Alian, the martyr's father, expressed his astonishment at the Public Prosecution's response, which he described as unexpected, especially since the family had hoped for the release of the body as part of recent exchange deals. The father affirmed that depriving the family of burying their child according to Islamic Sharia represents a blatant violation of the most basic human and religious rights guaranteed by international laws.\n\nAlian stressed that the family will not stop demanding the return of Wadih's body, no matter how long the detention in the cemeteries of numbers lasts, emphasizing that the goal is to achieve justice by burying him in the known family cemeteries. He described the waiting state as a bitter wish, where the dream of the Palestinian father is merely to receive the body of his beloved child to bury him with dignity.\n\nIn an interview with media sources, the father recalled the features of his child who dreamed of becoming a professional football player, noting that Wadih had a strong personality and a distinguished presence among his schoolmates. He added that Wadih's spontaneous smile still fills the corners of the house, despite the heavy absence imposed by the occupation on the family since the moment of his martyrdom.\n\nFor her part, lawyer Suhad Bishara from 'Adalah' center explained that the Public Prosecution's response confirmed the burial of the body in cemeteries designated for detainees, despite continuous correspondence demanding clarifications about his fate. Bishara indicated that the center has initiated new legal procedures to demand the release of the body from the cemeteries of numbers and to schedule an urgent hearing before the Supreme Court.\n\nBishara affirmed that what child Wadih experienced is not an exceptional case, but rather falls within a general policy adopted by the occupation army to bury the bodies of detained martyrs without informing their families. She considered this behavior a clear violation of established procedures and the rights of families to make legal decisions before any unilateral burial operation is carried out.\n\nIn a related context, Hussein Shuja'iya, coordinator of the National Campaign for the Recovery of Martyrs' Bodies, considered the transfer of martyrs from refrigerators to cemeteries of numbers to be a deterrent tool and collective punishment practiced against Palestinians. He described this policy as a 'sadistic' practice aimed at controlling the Palestinian individual even after death, and using bodies as bargaining chips in political negotiations.\n\nThe latest data from the National Campaign indicates that the number of documented detained bodies has reached 785, including 78 children under the age of eighteen. The list also includes 98 martyrs from the prisoner movement and 10 female martyrs, reflecting the magnitude of the tragedy experienced by hundreds of Palestinian families deprived of burying their children.\n\nJerusalem stands out in particular in this file, where the occupation authorities detain 52 bodies of Jerusalemite martyrs, the oldest of whom is martyr Jasser Shtat, detained since 1968. Children Khaled Al-Za'anin and Wadih Alian, both fourteen years old, are the youngest Jerusalemite martyrs whose bodies the authorities refuse to hand over to their families.\n\nThese Israeli practices explicitly violate the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, specifically the two articles related to the detention of bodies. Article 130 stipulates the necessity of burying the deceased with respect and according to the rites of their religion, and that their graves must be maintained in a way that allows them to be identified at all times.\n\nInternational laws also oblige the detaining state to provide lists showing the locations of graves and details of the identities of the deceased as soon as hostilities cease or conditions improve. However, the occupation continues to disregard these norms by using 'cemeteries of numbers' which lack the minimum standards of human dignity and hide the identities of martyrs behind silent metal numbers.\n\nWadih Alian's story remains a testament to the ongoing suffering experienced by Jerusalemites, where the occupation pursues them in their lives and deaths, attempting to obliterate their identity and break their will by detaining bodies. The family continues its legal and humanitarian battle, driven by a simple hope that their child will find a peaceful place under the soil of his city that he loved and dreamed of a future that was not completed.\n\n"We have the right to bid farewell to our child and kiss him goodbye, and for him to have a known grave that we can visit when we miss him, not to be buried in unknown cemeteries of numbers.