Israel is set to return the body of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy more than nine months after he was killed by Israeli forces and his remains were placed in Israeli custody, according to a Palestinian campaign seeking the return of bodies.
Jadallah Jihad Jumaa Jadallah, from the Al-Fara'a refugee camp near Tubas in the West Bank, was killed by Israeli army fire during a raid on 16 November 2025, the National Campaign for the Retrieval of Palestinian Martyrs’ Bodies said on Wednesday.
His family has been unable to bury him or hold a funeral since his death.
The campaign said it petitioned Israel's Supreme Court in March, demanding the return of Jadallah's body.
After repeatedly giving prosecutors additional time to respond, the court was informed on Wednesday that Israeli authorities intend to return the boy's remains in the coming days. No specific date was provided.
The campaign said the prolonged withholding of his body had denied his family "the right to bid him farewell and bury him".
The decision comes amid a wider dispute over Israel's policy of retaining bodies of Palestinians killed by its forces.
The campaign said Israel is currently holding the remains of about 1,700 Palestinians, including 799 whose identities are known.
Among those identified are 81 children under the age of 18, 99 Palestinians who died in Israeli prisons and 10 women, according to figures released ahead of the annual National Day for the Retrieval of Palestinian Martyrs’ Bodies.
The group also said 256 bodies were being held in what are known as "cemeteries of numbers", where numbers rather than names identify graves.
The practice has left families without clear information about the whereabouts of their relatives or, in some cases, whether their remains can be recovered.
The issue has been the subject of legal battles in Israel for years.
In 2019, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that authorities could withhold the bodies of Palestinians for use as bargaining leverage. The policy was subsequently expanded to include Palestinians accused by Israel of carrying out attacks.
For families, the return of remains can be an important final step after a death - allowing relatives to hold funeral rites and establish a grave where they can mourn.
Jadallah's case has therefore become part of a much broader campaign by Palestinian families seeking the return of those whose remains remain in Israeli custody.
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