WARNING: this story contains graphic and sad content
When Israeli-American artist Tomer Peretz booked a flight for himself and his two sons from Los Angeles to Israel for a cousin’s wedding, he expected a fun-filled time with family and close friends.
They plan for music, dancing and laughter with loved ones they haven’t seen in a long time.
But within days of his arrival, everything changed when Hamas launched a terrorist attack that surprised them on October 7, leading to the loss of more than 1,400 Israeli lives and the country declaring war on the terrorist group.
Peretz, 41, was not only horrified and shocked by the attack — he also felt an obligation to help his fellow countrymen.
He immediately raised his hand to volunteer for Zaka, the country’s civilian rescue and rehabilitation organization.
However, nothing could prepare him for what would happen next, as he was assigned to a highly specialized unit that cleaned up corpses after the disaster and was sent to kibbutz Be’eri, where more than 100 people, including babies, were tortured and slaughtered. by the merciless attacks of Hamas.
Peretz insisted on explaining to The Post what he saw to convey the level of brutality and barbarity of the terrorists.
Israeli-American artist Tomer Peretz (left) with other members of Zaka, the country’s civilian rescue and rehabilitation organization.Tomer Peretz Peretz was in Israel for a cousin’s wedding when Hamas launched a terrorist attack that killed about 1,400 Israelis.Tomer Peretz
Among the bodies of the victims he personally found were a burned baby, a woman who was “shot in the face about 20 times”, innocent men and elderly people.
“Everything was blown away, there was no face,” Peretz said of the woman who had been shot to death.
“We took body parts like arms … My team took a burning baby with an ax on his head. My team leader put the baby in the bag.”
Peretz takes care of body bags at the kibbutz.Tomer Peretz Damage to a house in the Be’eri kibbutz — where more than 100 Israelis were killed.Tomer Peretz
He told The Post his job was to lift the burnt and bloodied corpses, then wrap and roll them in plastic, before writing the person’s house number on the back with a marker, and putting them in a bag, following Zaka protocol.
The body bags were then put into a refrigerated truck and handed over to the military, he said.
“We don’t know what the military did with the body next but I assume that’s when the DNA testing process started,” said Peretz, who arrived back in the US with her son a week ago.
Be’eri — a kibbutz or communal farm — has a total population of 1,100 in its entire area and is located near the Gaza border wall, which Hamas breached to launch their attack.
Blood stains in a bedroom in a kibbutz.Tomer Peretz A broken cot in a children’s room in a kibbutz. Peretz had to get the body of the baby killed during the operation himself. Tomer Peretz
During the day-long rampage at Be’eri kibbutz, Hamas militants roamed the neighborhood shooting dead residents, setting fire to houses and killing those who tried to escape the smoke and flames.
They killed more than 120 people, including children, and kidnapped others.
The Israeli army was the first to discover the atrocities that had taken place when they checked what remained of houses and buildings to make sure they were free of bombs and to gather information about casualties.
Later, Zaka’s special units were called in to carry out their gruesome but important work.
Zaka volunteers with a row of dead bodies put in bags from the kibbutz.Tomer Peretz More than 100 people were tortured and killed in the Be’eri kibbutz.Tomer Peretz Peretz works with other volunteers.Tomer Peretz
Peretz said he personally handled at least 40 bodies and saw more than 100 during the three and a half days he volunteered with Zaka before returning to the US.
“We sometimes don’t know if they are brothers or terrorists but we always treat them like brothers because you never want to make a mistake,” he said.
“[Even if they were a terrorist] We don’t spit on them. We do not [defile them]we do no such thing.
“We just wrapped it up, and gave it to the army – I don’t know what the army did with the next body.”
A volunteer steps on debris while carrying children’s toys found on the kibbutz.Tomer Peretz
Zaka, a non-governmental organization, has over 3,000 volunteers deployed across the country to respond to any terrorist attack, disaster or major accident.
It has sole responsibility in Israel for dealing with unusual death incidents and works closely with all emergency services and security forces, according to its website.
Peretz told The Post he called a friend who had worked with the unit for 25 years to offer help and was accepted “because he knew I was crazy enough to come”.
A blood-stained hallway inside a house in the Nir Oz kibbutz in Israel after an attack by Hamas.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux Bloody handprints on the wall of a Nir Oz kibbutz house.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux The attack in Nir Oz left 100 of the 400 residents dead or lost.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux
But what he said baffled him and Peretz said he “still hasn’t processed” the horror he experienced. He described the scene as “unimaginable” and said he saw several soldiers and volunteers vomiting and passing out in response to the sight, smell and scale of destruction.
“From the moment you enter the kibbutz there is the smell of death and burning corpses,” he said.
“One of the most difficult things in the operation is taking the body.
“Something that’s physically and mentally difficult is when a body is lying there for days and it swells and it spurts and explodes.
“There’s worms all over, too. There’s no special technique to handling those things. You just have to do it.
Damage to a house in Nir Oz after a Hamas attack.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux Blood on the wall of a child’s bedroom after a Hamas attack Nir Oz kibbutz.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux Someone’s glasses were left on a table in a house in Nir Oz after the attack.Ron Haviv/VII/Redux
“Everything is done by hand. In many cases you go home with a lot of dead bodies around and put your hands over your eyes to not see everything except what you need to see for the moment.
“I know it’s disgusting but it happens every day and we have to do it every day.”
Peretz said her sons, ages 5 and 9, stayed with their grandparents while she did volunteer work, before returning together to the US last weekend.
Peretz described collecting bodies as “the dirtiest job in the world” but was still desperate to return and help fellow Israelis.
“I really want to go back. I have a hard time living here. I can’t do anything,” he said.
After nearly two weeks of war in Israel, at least 3,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have been killed, according to the latest death toll.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
