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Tag: Abu Kabir

  • Israel readies DNA and CT scans to identify hostages’ remains

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    Teams are preparing to identify the fallen hostages, determine the causes of death, and support families, using scientific methods and human compassion

    A nationwide operation to identify the fallen is underway: the Health Ministry and the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir said they have completed preparations to receive the remains of the hostages expected to return to Israel on Monday.

    According to the official statement, this is among the most sensitive and complex processes in Israel’s health system, combining rigorous scientific work with a profound commitment to the families and the state.

    The center, headed by Dr. Chen Kugel, is responsible for identification, investigating the circumstances of death, and providing certainty to families. The work will be carried out in close cooperation with the IDF, the Military Rabbinate, the Israel Police, and the Religious Services Ministry.

    Dozens of specialists are involved at the institute, including forensic pathologists, anthropologists, radiologists, imaging and laboratory technicians, DNA experts, and forensic dentists, each responsible for a different stage of the identification process.

    The Health Ministry emphasized that since the start of the war, the institute has operated continuously. Over the past two years, it has identified more than 50 hostages who were killed while in captivity. The accumulated experience enables the teams to act swiftly and professionally now as well, while safeguarding human dignity and providing emotional support to families.

    People pay their respects while the convoy with the slain hostages arrive at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir. February 20, 2025. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

    The process of identification

    Identification will proceed in precise stages, in line with accepted international protocols. Upon arrival, the remains will undergo an advanced full-body CT scan to locate unique markers, such as medical implants or old fractures, that can be matched with medical records provided by families.

    A full forensic medical examination by specialist physicians will follow, including documentation of external identifying features, tattoos, scars, and injuries sustained before or after death.

    Dental examinations will be performed by dentists from the Israel Police volunteer unit, comparing dental X-rays and previous records. The forensic radiology department, headed by Dr. Alon Krispin, will carry out additional comparisons using X-ray and CT imaging to identify distinctive anatomical features.

    Samples will then be taken for advanced DNA testing at the center’s biological laboratory, led by Dr. Nurit Bublil. There, precise genetic analyses will be conducted and compared with reference samples collected from families.

    The goal is to reach the highest possible level of certainty, which often requires an integrated effort across several disciplines, including genetics, anatomy, anthropology, and radiology.

    Where findings are clear and the condition of the remains allows, identification can be completed in as little as an hour and a half. In complex cases, the process may take many hours or even several days until complete scientific certainty is achieved. Once identification is finalized, the findings will be submitted to the relevant authorities in the Health Ministry and the defense establishment, and families will be notified in person. Only then will the bodies be released for burial, in accordance with the families’ wishes and IDF procedures.

    The human element is never forgotten

    The institute stressed that even after the identification process is completed, its staff will remain available to families to explain the findings and answer questions. The aim is to ensure families fully understand the information and can reach personal closure.

    The Health Ministry also addressed the psychological dimension of this national trauma. It noted that uncertainty and tension surrounding the identification process affect the entire public and urged awareness of one’s own mental state and that of the community.

    Recommendations include mutual support among family and friends, avoiding disturbing videos or rumors, and engaging in activities that strengthen emotional resilience, such as spending time with loved ones and maintaining routine.

    In addition, the ministry warned against spreading information that does not come from official sources and called on the public to act responsibly and sensitively toward bereaved families and those returning from captivity. “We all carry the invisible wounds of grief and pain,” the statement said. “It is likely that many around us are coping with loss. Be sensitive, and help those in distress.”

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  • Officials ready for return of hostages’ bodies, but fear claims that some were ‘not found’

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    Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services officials said the transfer of bodies from Gaza could be incomplete, leaving some families without closure.

    Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services has finalized procedures to receive and identify the bodies of Israelis expected to be returned by Hamas, but officials worry the transfer could be incomplete, leaving some families without closure, Director-General Yehuda Avidan said in a radio interview.

    “We are preparing to receive between one and 28 [bodies],” Avidan said, adding that authorities still do not know the final number. Readiness remains “as we were throughout the war,” he said, with maximum sensitivity for the bereaved. His comments were made on Kan Reshet Bet with hosts Prof. Yuval Elbashan and Moriah Kor.

    Avidan warned of a worst-case scenario in which Hamas asserts that some remains are missing. “My biggest fear is that we will be told ‘not found,’ and families will be left without closure,” he said. He later added a simple wish: “May we hear only good news. May we not have to deal with such things.”

    Because of past incidents, each transfer will begin with strict safety screening. “We do not trust them with anything,” Avidan said, noting that grenades and other explosives had previously been found on bodies. Only after security checks and an initial identification conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross across the border will remains be moved to Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, known as Abu Kabir, for full forensic work.

    “There begins the entire complex identification process,” Avidan said, describing how forensic specialists match remains with intelligence files compiled for each of the fallen. He said most of the 28 had already been formally declared dead by a special state committee convened for the first time and led by Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. “There is no chance of a mistake,” he said, emphasizing that decisions were based on solid evidence, including to allow widows to remarry under Jewish law.

    Israeli security forces stand guard at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir, February 20, 2025. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

    Preparations ready for funerals of slain hostages

    The ministry is preparing to hold funerals for families that already observed mourning or held symbolic burials after the earlier declarations of death. “We give them the arrangements, and in every family, we do the funeral again,” Avidan said, describing a tailored approach meant to ensure “the family receives what it deserves” in accompanying their loved ones to burial.

    Coordination is being carried out with the IDF, Israel Police, and other agencies, Avidan said. Ministry teams are staying in constant contact with next of kin and accommodating specific requests regarding burial and farewell rites wherever possible. He said the posture is one of high alert, with procedures refined to balance security, forensics, and religious law.

    Avidan reiterated that the ministry’s focus is twofold: protecting dignity for the dead and providing close support for families. “We are ready for one, and we are ready for 28,” he said. “We are doing everything so that the families can say goodbye in the most respectful way.”

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