Forensic Teams in Israel Uncover Gruesome Details of Severe Abuse by Hamas
Israeli military forensic teams revealed horrific details about the victims of last week’s attack by Hamas on communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. Approximately 1,300 bodies have been examined at an army base in the central Israeli city of Ramla. Rabbi Israel Weiss, a former army chief rabbi overseeing the identification process, said about 90% of the military dead and half of the civilians have been identified. Many showed signs of severe abuse, including torture and rape.
“We’ve seen dismembered bodies with their arms and feet chopped off, people that were beheaded, a child that was beheaded,” said a reserve warrant officer, Avigayil. Forensic examinations found multiple instances of rape. However, no forensic evidence was provided to reporters to corroborate the claims.
The attacks from Oct. 7, led by hundreds of Hamas gunmen, caused deep shock in Israel, prompting Israeli jets and artillery to retaliate by bombarding Gaza, resulting in more than 2,200 Palestinian deaths. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened Hamas to the Islamic State for their tactics. Hamas has denied allegations of abuse though its forces took videos of their attacks that clearly show multiple examples of the torture, rape, and murder of noncombatants.
