The IDF announced Tuesday that 76-year-old Bilha Yinon, who was previously listed as missing with her fate unknown since October 7, was murdered during the Hamas terror attack.
Yinon was at home on Moshav Netiv HaAsara with her husband, Yaakov, who was also murdered during the massacre. "This provides some closure for some of the children and grandchildren, but less so for us. We think about Mom and Dad every day and relive October 7," said their daughter, Mor.
"We had no doubt that Mom was murdered along with Dad. For us, it was clear she was killed, but the army continued searching for evidence. A few weeks ago, they identified new findings near our parents' home – two teeth that were conclusively identified as Mom's, alongside other circumstantial evidence. This was enough for the committee to officially declare her death," More added.
"We were still surprised that after 10 months, they found teeth in a place we had already cleaned and cleared of debris. We had been there many times. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and biologists were constantly searching, but we didn't expect to find anything new."
The difficulty in finding evidence of Yinon's fate stemmed from the fact that the terrorists who infiltrated the moshav set the couple's wooden house on fire. The house burned down completely in less than 10 minutes with the couple inside, but only Yaakov's DNA had been found at the charred scene until now.
In the chaos following October 7, Bilha Yinon was declared dead, and her children sat shiva for both of their parents during the first week of the war. However, doubts about her death later arose. Now, the IDF has ended the uncertainty, confirming that evidence found near her home indicates Bilha Yinon was murdered that day. Her remains were identified with the help of an archaeological team led by Dr. Ayelet Dayan from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The IDF said in a statement that: "Bilha Yinon was the last person designated as missing since October 7th. Since the start of the war, the IDF and specifically the Manpower Directorate, have conducted an extensive investigative effort via different teams in various fields to determine Yinon’s fate. As part of this effort, evidence was discovered in the area of Yinon's house that, after complex testing, enabled the verification of her identity.
"A Ministry of Health committee of experts, consisting of representatives from the IDF investigative team, the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police and in cooperation with the Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef, determined based on a combination of findings that Bilha Yinon was murdered on October 7th. "
To uncover what exactly happened in the Yinons' home, Fire Investigator Chief Warrant Officer Erez Shtir and his team were called to the scene. "I examined the fire's origin," Shtir told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth in May. "Fire has its own language based on 'burn patterns' of soot, which indicate the fire's origin, intensity, and cause – whether it was arson, a rocket hit, or an explosive device. The closer you get to the fire's origin, the more prominent the soot patterns become."
What did you discover?
"The house had been investigated, and the initial theory was that the fire started inside the secure room where the woman was hiding, so all searches were concentrated there. When we arrived, we understood that the fire didn't start in the fortified room because items inside were less burned compared to those outside. Based on the lighter soot and smoke marks around the window and door of the secure room, we concluded that they were closed, meaning the fire started outside. We informed the investigators that there was no need to focus on the fortified room."
Meaning?
"We basically told them not to waste resources there but to concentrate their search efforts elsewhere. Analyzing a severe crime scene also involves ruling out initial investigation directions. By knowing where the fire didn't start, investigators can focus their search efforts in the right place."
Chief Inspector Itzik Gilad added: "In addition to Shtir's examination, I conducted a 'Blue Star' test to detect blood stains. This transparent chemical turns blue upon contact with blood, helping to locate blood traces."