Israel's High Court ruled today (Monday) that it will not return the body of Walid Duqqah until all of the hostages still held by Hamas have been freed.
Walid Daqqah was convicted in 1987 for his role as the leader of a terrorist cell responsible for the kidnapping, torture and murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam.
According to Jpost, Daqqah, an Israeli citizen, was initially serving a life sentence, which was later reduced to 37 years, although 2 years were added on to his sentence when he was caught attempting to smuggle a phone into prison. On April 7, 2024, Daqqah died of cancer while he was still imprisoned.
Recently, in a completely contradictory move, Israel returned the body of Maher Al-Jazi to Lebanon. On September 8th, Al-Jazi was killed after he murdered three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge, a few kilometers east of Jericho. On September 17th, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it received al-Jazi's body.
The difference with this case, as emphasized by the court, was that Daqqah had been "adopted" as a symbol by Hamas, who wants exchange to "bodies for bodies" with Israel.
As reported by Jpost, "holding the body could advance negotiations for the return of the bodies of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens, [therefore] the court ruled that the decision was reasonable and proportional, leaving no grounds for intervention."