IDF reservists with the help of many volunteers have been searching the grounds of the ill-fated Nova music after the Hamas massacre of October 7, to find any clue that could help identify victims after the terrorists burned the bodies of many of their murdered victims.
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Walking in long rows, the search teams meticulously search every inch of the field, looking for personal items, body parts or any other indication of who may have been there when the terrorists carried out their atrocities.
Many victims remain unidentified and families are left in the dark as to the fate of their loved ones. The efforts that have been undertaken by the military, were to give some of the families, closure. Some burned bodies were located, and identification efforts were continuing.
Among the volunteers were two treasure hunters, Liel Yifrach and his friend Ratev El Khian, who arrived, as had many others, with metal detectors. Their searches uncovered necklaces, rings, reading glasses and mobile phones, belonging to people who attended the festival and to police officers who arrived to save them, when the massacre was still taking place. Five bodies were recovered in recent days.
"Unfortunately we found places where bodies had been burned beyond recognition, but with the help of metal detectors, we were able to determine that they were human remains," Yifrach said.
"We deliver our findings to the police unit tasked with identification of victims. It is hard work that takes long hours," he said.
"If our efforts can provide families with answers and remove doubt, then we have done our job. We found many personal items and know who they belong to but can reveal the information only after the families are notified."