"A symbol of the dehumanization of Palestinians": The son who buried his father and then had to exhume the body due to the threat from Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Photo caption: Mohamed Asasa sought to give his father a dignified burial. Author: Wyre Davies Author title: Correspondent in the Middle East Reporting from: Asasa, West Bank May 11, 2026, 03:09 GMT Updated 17 minutes ago Reading time: 5 min Israeli settlers armed with weapons disrupted the burial of Hussein Asasa, 80, in the West Bank village of Asasa, near Jenin, and forced the family to exhume the body hours after it had been buried. Mohamed Asasa had just returned home after burying his father, Hussein, 80, when several children broke into the house shouting, "The settlers are digging up the grave!" In the small village of Asasa, near Jenin, in the West Bank, from which the family patriarch, Hussein, took his name, Hussein was a highly respected figure before his death from natural causes. Following Islamic custom, the elderly former livestock trader and father of 10 children was buried in a simple plot in the cemetery, on a small hill on the other side of the village. Eager to avoid trouble, Mohamed said he had even sought permission from a nearby Israeli military base for his father's funeral to take place. Less than half an hour later, Mohamed and his brothers were back at the entrance to the cemetery, dismayed to see a group of Jewish settlers, some armed, hitting the freshly dug grave with tools. Photo caption: The settlers began to dig up Hussein's grave with tools. Violence by settlers After attempting to negotiate with the settlers, Mohamed ran to the grave just as they were about to break the slab, which was all that stood between them and the remains of his father. "They were about to reach the body," said Mohamed. "I'm sure they were going to take it out, so we had to make a decision at that moment." [More] Most read and continue reading [More] Most read [More] End of Most read [More] Podcast and continue reading [More] Improbable The new BBC Mundo podcast about a love that triumphed against all odds [More] Episodes [More] End of Podcast The settlers came from a recently re-established settlement called Sa-Nur, located on the hill above the cemetery. Although all settlements in Palestinian territory are illegal under international law, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu recently allowed Sa-Nur to be reoccupied as part of its controversial decision to expand and create new settlements in the occupied West Bank. A video recorded on a mobile phone shows family members having to dig up the grave themselves after the settlers, armed with automatic rifles, warned them: "Either you exhume the body, or we will." They claimed that the burial site was too close to their settlement. Other images show Mohamed and his brothers carrying his father's shrouded body out of the cemetery and down the hill, to a safer place, under the watchful eyes of the settlers. The Israeli army later said that it had intervened to confiscate the settlers' tools and prevent further tensions. But the family accused the soldiers of standing idly by while they were forced by the settlers to clear the grave in a sudden and humiliating manner. In a statement to the BBC, the Israel Defense Forces said that they condemn "any attempt to act in a way that harms public order, the rule of law, and the dignity of the deceased." Photo caption: Settlers have been increasingly aggressive in the West Bank. Photo caption: Hussein Asasa was finally buried by his sons in a small cemetery in a neighboring village. Photo caption: Local residents say that even when access is coordinated with the IDF, the settlers are much more aggressive and threatening, and many carry weapons openly. Photo caption: The New York Times reported that between the start of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran and the end of April, 13 Palestinians had died in attacks by settlers, hundreds were injured, and many more were displaced from their homes. Hussein Asasa was finally buried by his sons in a small cemetery in a neighboring village, finally away from the torment and tension that a growing number of people who call this land "home" are experiencing. Click here to read more stories from BBC News Mundo. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.