Team News Riveting
Jerusalem, October 21
The Israeli police have come out with the figures underlining that approximately 26 per cent of the 1,033 bodies of civilians killed in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught could not be identified.
Though there is contradiction in the casualty figures, police said 1033 bodies were collected after the brutal attack by the Hamas terrorists, of which 765 have been identified. “The 765 victims represent 74% of civilians (non-soldiers) killed in the fighting whose bodies have been brought for identification,” a statement issued by the police said.
Of those, 668 have been transferred to families for burial. Around 300 soldiers killed in the assault and ensuing fighting on the Gaza border have also been identified by the IDF, putting the official death toll at over 1,300.
“Thousands of police have been working shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are taking part in the tough work of identification,” the statement added. Some of the bodies have been badly burned or destroyed, making identification extremely challenging, it added.
Meanwhile, the number of hostages in Hamas captivity has increased to 210 as the count goes on. On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the families of 210 hostages have been notified that their loved ones are being held in the Gaza Strip, but that the number was not final as the military is investigating new information on those still missing.
“That number will continue to change, and we will update the information,” IDF officials said.
