Mass funeral held for 14 Palestinians in al-Khalil

Thousands of mourners have participated in a mass funeral procession in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) to lay to rest 14 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.

The funeral was held on Saturday after the Israeli regime handed over the bodies of 23 Palestinians, including the 14, on Friday night.

The bodies, which were wrapped in Palestinian flags and covered with flowers, were carried to the al-Hussein Ibn Ali mosque in city center. Prayers were also held for the deceased in the adjacent al-Hussein football stadium and across city streets, Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported.

The mourners then marched through Ein Sarah Street before reaching the al-Shuhahda (Martyrs) Cemetery, where the 14 were laid to rest.

Tensions have dramatically escalated since the Israeli regime’s imposition of restrictions in August on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds.

Palestinians say Tel Aviv seeks to change the status quo of al-Aqsa. They are also angry with Israeli extremists who, escorted by military forces, have stepped up their raids on the sensitive site, which is Islam’s third holiest after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

Israeli forces have killed over 140 Palestinians since early October.

The Tel Aviv regime refrains from returning the bodies of those killed in clashes with its forces in order to prevent mass protests that usually follow funerals.

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