Israeli court to take on issue of Jenin killings

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli Supreme Court said Saturday it will hear arguments on the burial of Palestinian fighters and civilians in the Jenin refugee camp Sunday.

The court issued an injunction Friday night blocking burials after two Israeli Arab Knesset members and two human rights groups filed a petition.

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The Israel Defense Forces have said at least 100 Palestinian gunmen were killed at Jenin and acknowledged that "hundreds" of Palestinians were either killed or injured. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has charged that more than 500 Palestinians were killed in the Jenin camp, an estimate Israel dismisses as propaganda.

The IDF said some of its officers and Palestinians it had authorized to enter the camp had begun to pick up and tag bodies for identification by families. But that activity was stopped Friday night after the court issued its order, the IDF said.

In filings before the court, the Israeli attorney general's office said no bodies had been buried and none would be until Sunday.

In filings from the Knesset members and humanitarian organizations, witnesses said they saw the army burying bodies.

The attorney general also said the army cannot allow humanitarian organizations to enter the area because "some of the bodies may be booby-trapped with bombs."

Plans call for humanitarian organizations to remove the bodies and transfer them to the families.