Ran Gvili’s Burial in Muslim Cemetery Is Latest Example of Terrorist Exploitation of Holy Sites

Key Takeaways:

• The recovery of the body of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage, from a Muslim cemetery is the latest example of how Palestinian terror groups abuse Muslim holy sites for their nefarious purposes.
• Groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a long history of using human shields to cover their terrorist activities. The placement of weapons, terror control centers, and tunnels in mosques and cemeteries are but two examples of this breach of international law.
• When Hamas and Islamic Jihad exploit religious sites (as well as other civilian sites), they are not only putting innocent Palestinians in harm’s way, they are also cynically using these sites for their propaganda war against Israel.

Amid the bittersweet joy surrounding the IDF’s recovery of the body of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, the fact that the Islamic Jihad terror group had buried him in a Muslim cemetery in Gaza has been skirted over by many. Others have, however, noted it as a prime example of the cynical exploitation of Muslim holy sites by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups.

Two Palestinian analysts, Hamza Howidy and Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, both noted on social media how the cynical use of a Muslim cemetery for terror purposes was a desecration of the sanctified site and a sinister ploy used by terrorists in their war against Israel.

Hamza commented that “the body was concealed in a cemetery in Gaza, with no respect for either the deceased or the sanctity of those buried there, shows to what level these militias went: instrumentalizing death itself for political and military ends.”

Happy to hear the news on finding the remains of the last hostage from Gaza yesterday. As I said on October the 10th, 2023, those hostages should have never been kidnapped in the first place, an indefensible act from the outset, period.

The fact that the body was concealed in a… pic.twitter.com/bKW5cxiQo2

— Hamza (@HowidyHamza) January 27, 2026

Alkhatib made a similar statement, writing on X that by hiding the bodies of Gvili and other hostages in Muslim cemeteries, Hamas and allied terror groups not only desecrated the sacred area (it should be noted that non-Muslims are traditionally forbidden from being buried in Muslim cemeteries) but they also used those buried in the cemetery as pawns in their sick propaganda game.

By burying hostages in cemeteries, the Palestinian terror groups knew that Israeli forces would exhume bodies in the hopes of finding their kidnapped countrymen. This not only disturbed the final resting place for thousands of deceased Palestinians but gave Hamas a propaganda talking point: Israeli forces are desecrating Palestinian cemeteries.

Naturally, several media organizations (including CNN, Le Monde, and the Associated Press) fell for this ploy and published articles on alleged wanton Israeli destruction of Gazan graveyards.

So, too, with the repatriation of Gvili’s body, several online personalities and organizations have blamed Israel for the desecration of a Gaza cemetery, playing into the hands of Hamas’ propaganda machine.

Hide them in cemeteries, and cry foul when the cemeteries are destroyed! After taking multiple bodies of deceased Israelis into Gaza following its horrendous October 7th attack, Hamas made the atrocious and despicable decision to hide dozens of them in Palestinian cemeteries in… pic.twitter.com/frkKqF9Ryv

— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) January 27, 2026

Interring Gvili’s body in a Muslim cemetery in Gaza may be brazen, but it was not surprising. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a long history of exploiting Muslim holy sites for their terror purposes.

Throughout the post-October 7 war against Hamas (and even past Israel-Hamas conflicts), there have been numerous incidents where it was discovered that Hamas and other terror groups were misusing Muslim holy sites for terror purposes.

Some of these incidents include:

• The use of the “Old Cemetery” in Khan Younis by an armed terror squad that was in possession of rifles, RPGs, and grenades (2025).
• The discovery of a missile launcher in a cemetery in the Daraj Tuffah area (2025).
• The discovery of a tunnel network beneath a Rafah mosque (2024).
• The discovery of a tunnel shaft and weapons in a Khan Younis mosque (2024).
• The uncovering of a tunnel as well as terrorists, weapons, and a command center underneath the Bani Suheila cemetery (2024).
• The dismantling of a Hamas command-and-control that was located in a Gaza City mosque (2024).
• Islamic Jihad firing rockets at Israel from a Gaza cemetery, one of which misfired and struck the area outside Al-Ahli Hospital (2023).
• The use of a Jabalya mosque for RPG training and storing weapons (2023).
• The use of the Al-Farouq mosque in the Nuseirat refugee camp for storing weapons and rockets, as well as a Hamas command center (2014).
• The use of Al-Khulafaa’ mosque in Jabalya and other mosques around the Gaza Strip for storing weapons and rockets as well as weapons training (2009).

Only days ago, @CNN accused Israel of desecrating Gazan cemeteries, including Bani Suheila in Khan Younis.

Today, the IDF uncovered an attack tunnel under Bani Suheila cemetery with explosives & terrorists inside, as well as an office used by the commander of Hamas’ eastern… https://t.co/h7VT8cLHWr pic.twitter.com/RPokCOc1e3

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 29, 2024

 

It is clear that when it comes to Muslim holy sites in Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have no qualms about exploiting and abusing them for terror purposes. The burial of Ran Gvili in a Muslim cemetery is but the latest example of this.

Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region. Get updates direct to your phone. Join our WhatsApp and Telegram channels!