Police: 74% of civilians killed October 7 identified

Police figures indicate that approximately 1,033 bodies of civilians killed in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught have been collected, of which 765 have been identified.

Of those, 668 have been transferred to families for burial.

“The 765 victims represent 74% of civilians (non-soldiers) killed in the fighting whose bodies have been brought for identification,” a statement says.

“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,” police say. Some of the bodies have been badly burned or destroyed, making identification extremely challenging.

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.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the toll from the murderous rampage was at least 1,400 and possibly higher.