- More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’s wave of terrorist attacks on Saturday, particularly in Kibbutz Beeri and Kfar Aza.
- On Wednesday, Joe Biden confirmed that “terrorists” had “beheaded Israeli children.”
- Tomer Peretz, an Israeli artist who helped the NGO Zaka collect the victims’ remains, testifies for 20 minutes about the “carnage” he witnessed.
In the videos he shares on Instagram, he wears a respirator mask with an activated carbon filter to protect himself from the “smell of death.” Tomer Peretz, an Israeli artist, joined volunteers from the NGO Zaka on Sunday. The organization collects the remains of victims of the Hamas terrorist attack that killed at least 1,200 people in Israel so that families can bury their loved ones according to Jewish burial rites.
Reached by phone, he spent 20 minutes recounting the “horror and carnage” he witnessed at Kibbutz Beeri, 5 km from the Gaza Strip, where emergency estimates say around a hundred Israelis were killed. In particular, the artist, who served in the special forces in the past, claims to have personally seen “heads and limbs of dead babies,” information that 20 Minutes cannot independently verify.
Tomer Peretz states that Zaka is against photos of the corpses being taken or shared out of “respect” for the families and the dignity of the dead. It can be seen on his Instagram account (Be careful, the picture is particularly shocking) a photo of a child’s bed, the pillow covered in blood. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman also said that “decapitated heads” of babies and children had been found in Kfar Aza. Including Joe Biden has confirmed itAfter meeting with Jewish community leaders, he stated: “I never thought I would see and confirm photos of terrorists beheading children.” »
Where were you on Saturday morning when Hamas attacked Israel?
I live in Los Angeles but was visiting Tel Aviv when I heard the alarm. Like everyone else, I started making calls and sending messages to my loved ones. On Sunday I realized I couldn’t just stay home. I contacted a friend who works for Zaka. He collected more than 5,000 remains over 25 years. I joined his team at Kibbutz Beeri. There were about fifty of us in teams of four. We began our restoration work. I saw bodies of all ages, from babies a few months old to people in their eighties and nineties.
Israeli soldiers reported seeing mutilated bodies of babies. Did you see it?
Yes. I have seen everything. Heads and limbs of dead babies. All. I was holding a body bag containing a baby (in the foreground in this article’s photo). He was maybe 75cm tall. I don’t have the expertise to know whether these heads were chopped off or exploded (due to grenades). Even Zaka members with years of experience had never seen such carnage. I saw the horror with my own eyes. I’m an artist, I have a different perspective. I wish I could show the world this reality, but I have to respect Zaka’s wishes.
How many bodies were found in Beeri?
I do not know exactly. We put the body bags in a refrigerated truck. I took a photo that showed between 60 and 70 bodies. The only living creatures my team found were two dogs.
Have you already been to Kfar Aza?
Yes. When I arrived, all the remains of Jewish victims had already been collected. I helped recover about forty terrorist bodies.
What message do you send to our readers and to the international community in general?
I am an artist. I’m not political. But I want people to know that there is war going on right now. I was a member of the special forces years ago. I have taken part in wars in Gaza, Jenin and the West Bank. This war is beyond anything we have ever seen. They (the terrorists) dismembered people. They took a man and cut off his fingers and one hand. He fled to an animal shelter and died (of smoke inhalation). They cut up corpses and burn civilians alive. Which animal does that?