The head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Chen Kugel, spoke to Kan News about their ability to determine death of hostages – even when the body is in Gaza – and also talked about the Institute's work during the war.
He described how they determine the death of hostages in Gaza: "You look at the videos and try to identify what injuries they have, whether these injuries are compatible with life or not, you try to identify breathing movements, movements of eyelids, signs that appear in people after death."
Dr. Kugel spoke about documentation which they examined, to see if the person who was lying in the same position was still breathing. In one case, the staff disagreed if the person was dead or alive, and only after receiving more information they determined the death of that person.
He added that the staff rely on testimonies from hostages who returned from Gaza, emphasizing "we must have some perspective, actually see some evidence."
Later he referred to the condition of the bodies and the examination of the hostages who returned from captivity to record signs of violence and injuries: "Meeting the hostages is more difficult, even though they are alive, because you hear from them what happened," he said.
Dr. Kugel also noted sensitive gestures by citizens who surprised them with Shabbat food - which made him emotional.
Finally, he shared that the handling of bodies and the harsh scenes has affected him. "I've aged, I suddenly feel that years have passed." He talked about thoughts of retiring and described: "I'm much sadder, I make less jokes, how can I laugh in lectures?"