They Spent Weeks Identifying the Dead After October 7. Some Ended up in a Psych Ward
This report details the traumatic experiences of Israeli reservists tasked with identifying bodies following the October 7 attacks. The process involved managing mass casualties at military bases, leading to severe psychological distress among those involved.
Why it matters
It highlights the profound human and psychological toll of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on those tasked with post-combat recovery operations.
One after another, the trucks entered the base. The large company logos on them revealed their previous purpose: fresh meat, sausages, ice cream. Finally the food had arrived, someone said.
Others were less optimistic. Then the doors opened, and with them, the smell. Bodies. Piles of dead bodies, one on top of the other, and intertwined. This was the scene at the Sde Teiman army base in the south a few days after October 7.
In those days, Sde Teiman was a mirror image of the Shura army base in central Israel. The bodies of soldiers and civilians were brought to Shura, while the bodies of people thought to be terrorists were brought to Sde Teiman. All told, about 1,600 bodies were found in Israel, and many more were found in the Gaza Strip near the border fence.
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