RAMALLAH, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated across several West Bank cities on Wednesday, demanding the return of bodies held by Israel.
The demonstrations were organized by the national campaign to retrieve bodies, ahead of the national day for the return of Palestinian and Arab bodies and disclosure of the fate of the missing on Aug. 27.
In Al-Bireh, relatives of Palestinians whose bodies are being held by Israel, along with representatives of Palestinian factions, carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for their return.
Campaign coordinator Hussein Shuja'iya said more than 1,700 Palestinian bodies are currently being held by Israeli authorities in "graves of numbers," morgues and military camps. He said the campaign has documented information on 800 bodies.
Similar demonstrations were held in Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Tubas and Bethlehem.
According to the campaign, the 800 documented bodies include 256 in numbered graves and 544 withheld since the policy was reinstated in 2015.
"Graves of numbers" refers to undisclosed burial sites where Palestinian bodies are buried under identification numbers rather than names, according to Palestinian prisoner affairs organizations.
