Many of the deceased, according to Shari Mendes, had “grimaces” and “fists clenched” on their faces as they came.
There was “systematic genital mutilation” of women, according to a reserve officer who handled the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack. Several victims were shot in the head, breasts, and crotch.
Shari Mendes was in a reserve Israeli army unit whose job it was to locate and get ready for burial female soldiers.
She said on The World With Yalda Hakim on Sky News that on October 8, she was present at the Shura base when the victims were brought in the day after the attack that claimed the lives of over 1,200 people.
“Body bags were stacked up to the ceiling in the hallways, and the stench was terrible. We were all struck with astonishment and grief, which I cannot express to you,” Ms. Mendes added.
By “accompanying” the female victims and getting them ready for burial in white linen, her unit played a religious function.
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They were the same age as our children, so they could have been our daughters, and it was our duty to honor them. We liked them for a brief while,” she said to Sky News.
Women arrived barely clothed, some with blood on their undergarments, according to Ms. Mendes, and none of her team was ready for their injuries.