How forensic anthropology helps identify victims of the October 7 massacre

At the conclusion of his demanding day of conducting autopsies, Dr. Chen Kugel, the head of Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, oftentimes likes to sit down at his piano to unwind. On the one hand, he meticulously dissects the bodies of people who were once the embodiment of an entire world, now lying upon his examination table, some bearing the marks of mutilation and scorching, with others having died under inexplicable circumstances. On the flip side, he finds solace in playing Israeli folk songs on the piano, infusing them with a touch of jazz style. This stark contrast serves as both a remedy and as a source of consolation.

Since the onset of the Swords or Iron War, Dr. Kugel, typically known for his cheerful and optimistic demeanor, has scarcely touched his piano keys. “Primarily due to my overwhelming workload, but also because of the heightened anxiety. I’ve had so many unsettling thoughts go through my mind since October 7. It’s been both emotionally and physically draining to work around the clock.”

Like almost everyone else, on the Black Shabbat, Dr. Kugel was at home, in Tel Aviv, when the massacre began. He woke up when the first alarm had sounded, and then had gone back to sleep. “But then there was another siren, and another one. At that point I realized something bigger was going on, and I turned on my TV,” Kugel recalls. “I did not realize the extent of the massacre, but I did understand that there were mass casualties, and so I immediately instructed my staff to convene at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, and not to wait until the holiday was over. At first, we heard reports of 100 casualties, then 150. We swiftly got organized, bringing in refrigerated containers to accommodate all the bodies.”

Gradually, the staggering scope of the tragedy unfolded, and the Forensic Institute staff came to the realization that the intricate task of identifying the vast number of bodies couldn't be accommodated at Abu Kabir. “The IDF and Israel Police jointly decided to conduct the identification process at the Shura IDF military base, as it had space for 300 bodies. However, we quickly realized that even at Shura finding sufficient space would be extremely challenging, especially since we initially couldn't differentiate between the bodies of the victims and the terrorists who had been killed. As a result, we brought in additional refrigerated containers. It resembled a port, but instead of goods, it was filled only with bodies.”

The staggering scope of the tragedy

Why was the Shura base chosen?

“Because it is the base for the IDF rabbinate, and it has a facility to hold bodies of IDF casualties. What would happen was that bodies would arrive, and all the forensic testing would take place – x-rays, recording of clothing and personal items, x-rays of teeth. This process takes a lot of time, and after a few days, we realized we could not get through the huge number of bodies in this fashion, and so we began taking samples and sending them out to other laboratories for simultaneous processing. Then, it was also decided that anything we couldn’t succeed in identifying at Shura, would be transferred to the Forensic Institute.”

And thus, Israel’s National Forensic Institute became the epicenter for handling the most complex cases. They dealt with bodies that were no longer intact, some of which were in advanced stages of decomposition, or that had been completely burned. “We were working around the clock, and fortunately, as was seen all around the country in so many different sectors, the spirit of volunteering reached us too, and a number of DNA specialists from labs offered us their services. There were radiologists who helped us decipher x-rays, Zaka, and other volunteers without any medical training assisted us with all the non-medical tasks, such as recording findings. In normal times, we would record the autopsy, and then afterward, someone would enter the data into the computer, but instead we opted for having everything recorded in real-time on paper so we could speed up the process.”

How did the volunteers react to working with so many bodies?

“They were very motivated and helpful. Of course, most didn’t really have any idea what the work would entail, but only a few were not able to continue helping. Many Zaka volunteers came, and also doctors from overseas who volunteered their time – and not only Jewish doctors. Especially since there are not many doctors who are forensic specialists in Israel. World Jewish organizations organized flights and hotel stays for these doctors, and one even came back again to help us at his own expense. We were also fortunate to receive help from a professor from the US who is a forensic anthropologist. She worked with us here, then went home to teach her class, and then came back to Israel again, since we have so many little bone fragments that we need help identifying.”

What kind of information do you discover during an autopsy?

“In normal times, we identify someone who has been shot or stabbed, and the process is generally straightforward and quick. But the things we have seen from the massacre show the sheer wickedness of the attackers. This massacre was planned, slowly and meticulously. The cruel attacks were deliberately designed to showcase how ruthless the perpetrators could be. This was an ISIS style massacre. If you tie people up, and then burn them alive, or you tie people up, then shoot them one-by-one in the head, or you stab them over and over, then burn their bodies, or run them over with a car, this is an indication of not just evil, but pure sadism. These were monsters. And they didn’t just do this to the soldiers, or even just to the Jews. Why did they also mutilate the Thai workers? How could anyone do this to babies?”

When the horrifying testimonies began flooding the internet, many people tried to cope with the terror by claiming that the abuse occurred only after the victims had been killed. Is that what you saw at the Institute?

“No, some of the victims were undoubtedly tortured while they were still alive. Some people were burned alive. It is so much more horrifying to think of how much they suffered before they died. Others were fatally injured, and then left to languish for many hours before they finally died. Just absolutely frightening.

“For those of us working to identify the individuals, you can’t help but feel the profound sadness of the families, and imagine what it would feel like if this had happened to one of my loved ones. I think this is the first time since the Yom Kippur War that Israeli citizens are sensing an existential threat to our existence as a nation. That is why all of us could envision this happening to any of us.”

Many of us are still grappling with the impact of the New York Times exposé of the sexual abuse of Israeli victims during the massacre. Have you come across instances of sexual abuse in any of the autopsies you’ve performed?

“At the Forensic Institute, we are handling the most complicated cases, and there have not been many indications of sexual abuse. But there have been numerous instances of sexual abuse in general, and these accounts are supported by personal testimonies. Our institute also conducts examinations of victims who have survived rape and sexual abuse, contributing crucial information for legal proceedings.”

Many people around the world, including terrorists who did not document themselves carrying out heinous acts of rape, are denying any occurrence of sexual attacks during the October 7 Massacre. 

“This absolutely makes my blood boil. It is well known that when someone makes a formal complaint about a case of rape or sexual abuse, then they absolutely must be believed. Not just by their family or their friends, but by all the authorities and women’s organizations. In the case of the Hamas Massacre, however, these world authorities have chosen to instead require videos or DNA as proof of the abuse. This is an absolutely absurd requirement. After all, even in normal circumstances, only in a small minority of rape cases do we find traces of the perpetrator’s DNA, sometimes due to the attacker taking precautions not to leave traces on the victim. So, this sudden requirement that we provide DNA evidence, even in light of the chilling testimonies, is outrageous. Rape trials are always primarily based on testimonies.

What is your explanation for this?

“I think claiming that it’s 100% due to antisemitism is not the whole story. I think people just don’t want to get too involved in the conflict. They much prefer to think about it as if there is no conflict, just some people who got raped, then there’s just a good side and a bad side. But if we say it’s part of a bigger, more complex conflict, then we need to support one side over the other. But I’m not focusing my efforts on finding explanations.”

Did you carry out forensic and clinical testing for the hostages who were returned from Gaza?

“Yes. Our institute is in charge of recording any clinical or forensic findings from hostages who’ve come home. We had a team of workers stationed at each hospital, and they were the first people to check the hostages – of course, after receiving their consent – and record their findings. For example, if one of the hostages said that they had been beaten, we would find the bruises and markings that corresponded with their claims. And of course, there is no doubt that every single one of them experienced serious psychological abuse.”

But even before October 7, you had probably seen almost everything, right?

“Until three months ago, I’d never been exposed to such an intense and premeditated attack. This was no sudden outbreak of psychopaths. This massacre had been meticulously and methodically planned. You could see, based on the dead bodies in a given location, that each cell had been dispatched to various locations, and had used their own style of terror and torture. In one spot, the terrorists had tied up everyone; in another place, they’d burned the people alive. In a third, they’d repeatedly stabbed all the victims. Here at the Institute, we didn’t see victims from all of these locations – we only saw the worst ones, that were the hardest to identify. But even the victims that we saw were horrific. So, no, never in my life had I ever seen the systematic slaughter of innocent civilians. Like, why did they use so much flammable material, which turned peoples’ homes into a crematorium, for example? They weren’t attacking someone that had threatened them, they were just going out on a killing spree to kill children, toddlers and the elderly in the most inhumane way possible.”

Did it appear that the older victims had been killed differently than the younger ones?

“Yes. Most of the older people had been shot. It seems like they might have decided that anyone under the age of 40 could have been a soldier, so they treated them with much more cruelty.”

And the children?

“It’s hard for me to talk about this. One of the bodies that was sent to us, it was a little girl. I don’t know what happened to her, but I could see by her facial expression that she had undergone intense suffering. Maybe it’s all in my head, and I’m just interpreting what I saw, but when I saw her, I felt as if someone had stuck a dagger deep in my heart. And then there were two women who had died hugging one another. They’d been burned alive. At first, you couldn’t even tell it was two people. Only when we saw in the CT that there were two spinal columns, and two sets of ribs did we realize this. Everything had been entangled into one iron column. Every time I recall this image, I tear up thinking about how horrible it must have been for them to die such an awful death. I make a concerted effort to find aspects in the autopsies that indicate the victims may not have endured significant suffering before they died, so that if a family member asks me whether I think they had suffered, I can point out a specific observation that proves that they had not suffered. I’m always looking for even the tiniest hint at this possibility.”

Translated by Hannah Hochner.