Bodies of Jerusalem synagogue attackers returned to families by Israel

Israeli authorities on Wednesday returned the bodies of two of the attackers who killed five Israelis at a Jerusalem synagogue in November.

Israel notified the families of Uday and Ghassan Abu Jamal that their bodies must by buried within 90 minutes of being returned at the cemetery of al-Sawahira al-Sharqiyya, lawyer Muhammad Mahmoud told Ma'an.

Only 40 relatives are allowed to return.

The family was forced to deposit 20,000 shekels ($5,000) to guarantee they would adhere to the stipulations.

"After they have been laid to rest, we will feel some relief after some very hard days following the martyrdom of Ghassan and Uday," a relative said.

Israel has imposed punitive measures on the whole family since the killings, refusing to return the bodies and detaining most of the close relatives, the family said.

Their home has received a demolition order and Ghassan's widow lost her permanent residency rights.

Around 300 mourners joined the funeral procession, raising Palestinian flags and chanting patriotic slogans.