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Photos: (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh/File) and MaanImages

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities will hold the bodies of two Palestinians who were shot dead by Israeli forces after alleged stabbing attacks in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday night and Sunday morning, a human rights lawyer told Ma'an.

Muhammad Mahmoud, a lawyer with Addameer rights group, told Ma'an that he was informed by Israeli intelligence officers at the Russian Compound detention center that the bodies of Muhannad Shafiq al-Halabi and Fadi Alloun would not be returned to their families until further notice.

He said that the bodies are currently being held at Israel’s Institute of Forensic medicine in Abu Kabir near Tel Aviv in northern Israel.
According to Islamic traditions, Muslims are to bury their dead before sundown, or within 24 hours of the death.

Al-Halabi was shot dead by Israeli forces after stabbing and killing two Israelis in an attack in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday night.
Two other Israelis were injured in the attack, including a two-year-old child.

Hours later, 19-year-old Alloun, from al-Issawiya village in East Jerusalem, was shot dead by Israeli forces after a second alleged stabbing attack in which a 16-year-old Israeli was reportedly stabbed and moderately injured.

Alloun's family denied that he was involved in an attack, alleging that Israeli forces shot Alloun dead while he was fleeing from attacking Israelis, citing a video of the incident.

Following the alleged attack, large numbers of Israeli soldiers stormed Alloun's village of al-Issawiya on Sunday morning and besieged the teen's family home.

A Member of a local committee in al-Isawiya, Muhammad Abu al-Hummus, told Ma’an that "large numbers of special Israeli forces broke into the martyr (Alloun's) home and assaulted men, women and reporters who were in the area."

He added that the Israeli forces arrested Alloun's father and uncle.