At the National Center for Casualties of Israel's Defense Forces in Camp Shura, hundreds of body bags have remained since the October 7th massacre. The bags contain both human parts and remains that require burial, such as blood.
Despite the efforts made in the past months, hundreds of body parts have not yet been fully identified.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the military rabbinate requested to conduct additional DNA testing for all the bags, but faced refusal from the Ministry of Religious Services.
The military rabbinate approached the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Yosef, who ruled to perform additional testing in order to confirm their identities and bury the remains properly. The IDF even allocated a specific budget for the renewed identification operation and received support from the Israel Police.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Religious Services, headed by Ministry director Yehuda Avidan, opposes the retesting. According to the ministry, it is a waste of resources and could be considered "desecration of the dead." Avidan's position is based on a professional opinion from the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Chen Kugel.
The dispute between the military rabbinate and the Ministry of Religious Services has not yet been resolved, and in the meantime, hundreds of body bags await a decision. The Ministry of Religious Services is considering transferring the remains for burial in a mass grave, without personal identification, which has sparked strong opposition from elements within the IDF and the rabbinate.
A final decision is expected to be made in discussions of a joint committee of the Ministry of Religious Services, the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the police, which is currently convening.