- Slain victims of the Hamas terrorist attacks have signs of abuse and torture, Reuters reports.
- Forensic teams in Israel discovered bodies with their arms and feet chopped off, people and a child beheaded.
The gruesome task of identifying Israel's dead and the circumstances in which they were killed has fallen to military forensic teams at an army base in central Israel.
They have uncovered evidence of torture and rape among the victims of last week's Hamas terrorist attacks on communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.
The series of coordinated surprise attacks, dubbed "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" by Palestinian militants, killed at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals in Israeli settlements, per The UN Human Rights Office. The majority of casualties were civilians.
Most of the bodies have been transported to an army base in Ramla and stored in refrigerated containers. Specialized teams are examining the remains, Reuters reports.
A reserve warrant officer known by her first name, Avigayil, recounted finding maimed bodies, per Reuters. Multiple cases of rape were also discovered during forensic examinations.
"We've seen dismembered bodies with their arms and feet chopped off, people that were beheaded, a child that was beheaded," Avigayil told reporters.
It follows claims earlier in the week that Hamas decapitated babies in Israel.
Captain Maayan, a military dentist involved in the identification process, said he'd seen gunshot wounds and clear signs of torture. No photographs or medical records were presented by Israel's military overseeing the process, Reuters reports.
Rabbi Israel Weiss, a former army chief rabbi, confirmed the bodies showed signs of rape and torture. Approximately 90% of the military casualties have been identified, per Reuters. Efforts to identify civilian victims had reached the half way, the rabbi said.
The attack by hundreds of Hamas militants, some on motorcycles, on October 7, breached barriers surrounding Gaza, after hi-tech observation towers were knocked out by drones and a huge rocket barrage was unleashed on Israeli towns and cities.
The attackers overwhelmed communities near Gaza, killing civilians, military bases, and committed a massacre at a dance festival. More than 120 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage during the onslaught.
In response to the attack, Israeli forces have unleashed a campaign of airstrikes and artillery bombardment on the Gaza Strip for days. According to Reuters, the retaliatory offensive killed 2,383 Palestinians and 10,814 injured on Sunday morning, according to Palestinian health ministry sources, and destroyed thousands of buildings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has compared Hamas to the Islamic State, notorious for its campaign of public beheadings in countries like Syria and Iraq, Reuters reports.
Documents obtained by NBC indicated plans to "kill as many people as possible," seize hostages and transport them to Gaza, and target elementary schools and a youth center. Insider could not independently determine the veracity of the documents.
According to a UN statement on Saturday, almost one million people have been displaced.