Jerusalem: A letter from December 1990 linked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently resurfaced online, reigniting allegations related to organ harvesting and the treatment of Palestinian bodies.
The document appears to show Netanyahu — who was deputy foreign minister at the time — replying to a proposal suggesting that organs from deceased Palestinians described in the letter as “terrorists” could be used for transplantation.
In his response, he wrote that the idea would need to be examined to see if it was legal under Israeli law.
The letter has been widely shared on social media recently. However, its full context and authenticity have not been independently verified. There is no public evidence that such a proposal was ever adopted as official government policy.
Social media reaction
The resurfaced letter prompted widespread discussion online, with some users suggesting it pointed to early consideration of organ use involving Palestinian bodies. Others linked it to longstanding and controversial allegations of organ harvesting.
Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the specific letter at the time of publication.
Past admissions at forensic institute
The renewed debate has drawn attention to admissions made by Israeli authorities in 2009 regarding practices at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, according to a revelation that came from an interview with Dr Yehuda Hiss, former head of the institute, which was broadcast on Israel’s Channel 2.
Hiss acknowledged that during the 1990s, tissues, including corneas, skin and heart valves, were removed during autopsies without proper family consent. The removals involved Palestinians, Israelis and foreign nationals.
The Israeli military said the practice ended years earlier and described it as irregular conduct rather than a formal state policy.
Allegations during the Gaza war
Since December 2023, Palestinian authorities have raised concerns about the condition of bodies returned from Israeli custody.
Medical teams involved in exhuming bodies from mass graves reported severe injuries and, in some cases, what they described as missing organs. At Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, officials said that of 392 bodies recovered, 165 were too disfigured to identify.
On October 17, 2025, Dr Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Government Media Office, accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of removing organs from Palestinian bodies and called for an immediate international investigation. He said that among 120 bodies returned through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), some were missing organs, including corneas and livers, Anadolu Agency reported.
In November 2025, British-Palestinian surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah told Al Jazeera that images he reviewed showed surgically precise incisions consistent with organ removal. He urged an independent forensic inquiry.
In October 2025, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also called for an international investigation, citing reports from medical professionals in Gaza.
Claims raised in The Baffler essay
An essay published in The Baffler examined allegations concerning the treatment of Palestinian remains and referenced reports of missing organs in bodies returned to Gaza.
The publication cited medical and rights groups who said some returned bodies appeared to be missing organs, including hearts, lungs, livers and corneas. It linked these claims to broader concerns about past admissions involving unauthorised tissue removal in the 1990s.
The essay also discussed Israel’s long-standing policy of retaining certain Palestinian bodies in morgues or in so-called “cemeteries of numbers,” where graves are marked by numbers rather than names. It referenced accounts by former Israeli military and forensic officials regarding the operation of Israel’s skin bank and the use of human tissue for medical training.
The Baffler framed these practices as part of a wider system of control over Palestinian remains. However, the specific allegations regarding missing organs in recently returned bodies have not been independently verified by international forensic investigators.
