The smell of corpses sticks to your clothes: Forensics teams describe never-ending ordeal

Despite having seen countless murder and terrorism scenes over the years, Israeli Police investigators working non-stop to identify those murdered in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks have found themselves in uncharted territory. The sights have caused even the staunchest among them to collapse in horror and grief.

“They were exposed to scenes, horror stories, and, above all, odors that they can’t get rid of,” said a therapist assisting officers and rescuers. Nothing could have prepared them for the forensic duties they underway at the National Crime Center, and the encounters continue to haunt them, exacting a mental toll that is impossible to calculate.

“These were not ordinary bodies. They’d been horribly battered and abused, including children and entire families. The defense mechanisms that these police personnel usually have were overwhelmed,” a source who is helping officers and their families cope with the atrocities told Israel Hayom.

Fifty-seven members of the Israel Police have been killed since the beginning of the fighting in the Gaza Strip; many others were wounded or are still defined as missing. Command chains of entire units have been shattered; many lost friends and subordinates. As the fighting continues, more cries of anguish are heard at a center set up for family members desperately seeking information about their loved ones.

Dozens of police and CSI investigators are working alongside numerous volunteer physicians to identify the dead at Camp Shura, a military base in central Israel.

“They describe how the smell of the corpses continued to cling to them even after they went home,” the source said. “Things got to the point where they undressed in the stairwell in order not to enter their homes in their uniforms.”

It has been especially painful for some officers who have had to withhold information from victims’ loved ones until bodies are positively identified.

“Those places tore the police apart; they needed incredible mental fortitude,” the source said. “There were teams that accompanied the families and found themselves in terrible situations as the families demanded, understandably, to know what had become of their dear ones.”

Some officers have even seen their own friends and family among the dead.

“There was a case of a policewoman from the investigation unit who was in charge of receiving exhibits and belongings that had belonged to hundreds of casualties,” the source said. “As she worked, she identified three relatives of hers by means of things that had come into her possession.”

The mental health teams working with the police said they are concerned about the long-term effects on the organization. Counseling teams have been deployed widely in order to reach every unit and every officer who has taken part in combat situations and seen the gruesome aftermath of the terrorist attacks. They have started having meetings before police head out to certain areas, and mental health team members join them to provide real-time support.

“We begin with group talks,” the source said. “We have to give the policemen and women the strength they need to continue coping with the task and functioning at home with themselves, with their families, and later on with their units.”

Israel Hayom is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, which also owns the Review-Journal.