Israel handed over the bodies of two Palestinians killed carrying out attacks on soldiers and civilians to the families today, an army spokeswoman said. A wave of Palestinian attacks that erupted in October 2015 has resulted in the deaths of 251 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities, with others killed during protests, in clashes or air raids on Gaza. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a leading cause of the violence. Israeli authorities have confiscated the bodies of killed Palestinians since the violence began, often keeping them for many months as a means of deterrence and to prevent clashes during funerals.

Source: Indian Express January 27, 2017 20:46 UTC