Israeli court: Army must hand over bodies

JERUSALEM - The Israeli army must hand over to the Palestinians bodies of Palestinians killed in fierce fighting in a northern West Bank refugee camp, according to a court ruling Sunday that stymies Israeli plans to bury the bodies of gunmen in unmarked northern graves. <br> <br> Under the decision by the Israeli Supreme Court, Red Cross representatives would accompany Israeli military teams searching for bodies in the debris of the Jenin refugee camp. If the local army commander agrees, representatives of the Palestinian Red Crescent also could participate, the decision said. <br> <br> Mohamed Barakeh, one of the Arab Israeli lawmakers who petitioned the court, described the decision as ``positive.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The army announced last week it would bury the bodies of militants in unmarked graves in a northern cemetery, prompting a Palestinian outcry and accusations Israel was trying to cover up the nature and scale of deaths inside the camp. <br> <br> The death toll in the camp hasn&#39;t been verifiable. Israel&#39;s army has estimated the death toll at 100 Palestinians; the Palestinians claim as many as 500 people died.