Inside Israel's Forensic Lab: Uncovering the Full Scope of October 7 Atrocities
Three years after October 7, Prof. Chen Kugel details the harrowing forensic work at Israel's National Center of Forensic Medicine, which achieved an unprecedented 100% identification rate despite overwhelming horrors.
Three years after the October 7 massacre, Prof. Chen Kugel, director of Israel's National Center of Forensic Medicine, opens a presentation containing hundreds of graphic autopsy room images, some previously unpublished. They document the chilling brutality of Hamas terrorists, which left deep psychological scars and led to his diagnosis with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"During the work, I am on autopilot, focused, investigating the cause of death to achieve identification without mixing emotions," Kugel says. He details harrowing cases, including a young woman killed at the Nova festival when an RPG struck the ambulance where she sought shelter. Her remains were eventually identified through DNA extracted from a crescent-shaped necklace after an initial mix-up.
The Scale of Horror at Abu Kabir
In the days following the onslaught, trucks formed lines outside the forensic institute in southern Tel Aviv, and refrigerated containers were urgently ordered as space ran out. Abu Kabir handled over 900 bodies from the events of October 7 and the subsequent Swords of Iron war, receiving some 3,000 body bags largely containing scattered fragments and burnt bones.
Working from dawn till late at night, staff, volunteers, and forensic experts laboured to remove doubt from families. Kugel recalled a breaking point one Friday evening when volunteers arrived with trays of food for Shabbat. Overwhelmed by the juxtaposition of brutal atrocities and civic generosity, he broke down in tears.
Systematic Annihilation Plan
Analysing the accumulated findings, Kugel notes that the carnage carried out by the Nukhba terrorists was a premeditated operation rather than a spontaneous outburst. Evidence showed foreign workers locked in rooms and left to bleed, execution-style killings of bound victims, and shelters intentionally turned into crematoriums using accelerants.
"We saw unprecedented things. Evil incarnate. It is impossible to call it cruelty, because that is a word that does not sufficiently exhaust the situation," Kugel states.
Despite the immense toll, the institute achieved an unprecedented 100% positive identification rate for all victims, surpassing forensic benchmarks set in historical disasters such as 9/11. This monumental achievement earned Kugel the Israel Prize for Revival in 2024.
Confronting Global Denial
Reflecting on international reception, Kugel expressed frustration over academic bias and denial, noting that prestigious journals like The Lancet summarily rejected articles detailing forensic findings from Israeli experts. In October 2024, Kugel also examined the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following his elimination in the Gaza Strip, confirming he died from a fatal head wound after sustained combat.
