Forensic Experts Convene in Jerusalem to Tackle Identification of Oct. 7 Massacre Victims

An international forensic conference began Tuesday at Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance, gathering specialists from Hadassah Medical Center, the National Center of Forensic Medicine and other institutions to address the daunting task of identifying victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas assault. Professor Chen Kugel warned that perpetrators used incendiary materials that turned remains into calcified bone or powder, destroying DNA much like Auschwitz crematoria, and noted varied killing methods such as stabbing, shooting and burning.

Dr. Nurit Bublil explained the difficulty of extracting DNA from samples exposed to temperatures above 800 °C, often receiving only a few bones per case. Volunteer dentist Naama Samet-Rubinstein described the need for CT scans when even teeth were charred. Family members, including Eyal Eshel and Orly Cohen, appealed for worldwide access to detailed autopsy findings to convey the scale of the atrocities.