Israel is accused of holding the bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians for possible future prisoner exchanges, according to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz cited by two unnamed sources. The report, published Tuesday, said the issue was recently discussed within Israel's security establishment.

Haaretz reported that Shin Bet chief David Zini supports retaining Palestinian bodies for a potential exchange if an Israeli citizen is detained or goes missing in the future. Israel's military is also said to support that position, according to the report.

In October 2025, a Palestinian rights group said Israel was holding the bodies of about 1,500 Palestinians killed in Gaza at the Sde Teiman military facility. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 1,258 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, while Palestinian deaths in Israeli attacks since October 2023 have exceeded 73,000. Palestinian rights groups have called for the bodies to be returned for burial under religious and family customs.