Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has formally appealed to Defense Minister Israel Katz, requesting that the body of Muhammad Abu Ahmad not be returned. Abu Ahmad carried out a stabbing attack at the Tunnels Checkpoint in Jerusalem.

In his letter, Ben Gvir emphasized that returning the bodies of terrorists fuels incitement. He warned that such returns often lead to mass gatherings, public eulogies, and the glorification of terrorism. “There is no justification for handing back the body of a terrorist who tried to murder IDF soldiers and Border Police officers,” he wrote. “This is a clear and decisive moral, national, and security message.”

Ben Gvir also pointed to inconsistencies in how the attack has been classified. “While the Israeli Police determined this was a terrorist attack, military sources reportedly claim otherwise,” he said. He stressed that since October 7, he has pushed for a shift in government policy to hold the bodies of terrorists, including Israeli citizens such as Walid Daka.