Jerusalem, 7 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — JERUSALEM — Recounting the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks Three Years ago, Religious Services Ministry Director General Yehuda Avidan detailed the unprecedented logistical and religious efforts to identify victims at the Shura military base.
Expecting massive casualties, Avidan bypassed standard bureaucracy, instructing burial societies nationwide to dig 2,000 graves immediately. Forensics teams worked continuously, supported by a Sabbath-work rabbinic ruling due to hostage-identification urgency.
To resolve complex cases involving victims taken to Gaza, Avidan established a classified civilian committee alongside Israel’s Rabbinical Court, police, and intelligence officials. Operating under high secrecy, the panel ultimately determined the fate of 35 fallen individuals held in Gaza, while ZAKA volunteers conducted months of recovery operations.
