Forensic Institute readies to identify deceased hostages, says process may take days

The National Institute of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) says in a statement cited by Hebrew media that it is preparing to identify the bodies of the dead hostages using advanced technologies, fingerprints, dental matching and DNA extraction.

The process could take several hours and possibly several days, the Institute says.

“We want to understand what happened” to the fallen hostages before their death, says Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the center, “to bring the family full information, closure and knowledge.”

After the identification is complete and absolute certainty is reached, the findings will be transferred to official bodies in the Health Ministry and the defense establishment, and the families will be informed personally.

Since the outbreak of the war, the center has identified the remains of 55 hostages who were held captive and brought to Israel for burial.

Up to 28 more will be returned in the current deal, though officials have said it isn’t certain how many will be quickly found and returned tomorrow.