74% of Israeli Civilians Killed in Hamas Assault Have Been Identified

Jerusalem, 21 October, 2023 (TPS) -- The Israeli Police announced on Saturday that 765 civilians killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault on Gaza-area communities have been identified.

“The 765 victims represent 74% of civilians killed in the fighting whose bodies have been brought for identification,” the police statement said.

Around 300 soldiers were also killed defending Israel’s southern communities.

“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 said.

The bodies have been brought to Camp Shura, a military base in central Israel where the police have been working with volunteers from ZAKA, an emergency response organization which aids in the identification of victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters.

So far, 668 bodies have been transferred to families for burial.

At least 1,400 people were massacred in Israel and more than 4,800 wounded in the attack. Over 200 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip.