During the visit, the President met with the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Head of the Medical Division at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, Director of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Ministry, Dr. Erez On, Director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Chen Kugel, Director of the Laboratories Division at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Nurit Buvlil, and with physicians and professionals of the Center, who have been working since October 7th as part of the complex national effort to identify casualties, including hostages who were murdered in captivity. And providing professional response in receiving the returning hostages, alongside handling findings related to serious offenses and sensitive criminal investigations.
Subsequently, the President toured the various laboratories where identification and forensic examination procedures were carried out, and heard firsthand the experiences of the professionals who worked continuously for many long months, working intensively, and sometimes under difficult and painful conditions.
The President of the State praised the professionalism and dedication of the Center’s teams and said: “This is a sacred task of utmost importance. Work that is sometimes emotionally challenging, but you, with your professionalism and dedication, bring answers and an unparalleled sense of closure. Michal and I have met with over 1,600 bereaved families, hostages, and missing persons since the beginning of the war, and many of them have passed through your hands. This is work that connects scientific depth, legal responsibility, and human sensitivity, and serves as an anchor of certainty in the most difficult moments.”
Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov: “The visit of the President and his wife Michal to the National Center of Forensic Medicine is of great importance to us, and we thank you for coming here. In this modest building, much professional and significant activity takes place throughout the years, but since October 7th, the professional team of the National Center has faced extremely complex challenges. Exceptional work has been done here with professionalism and deep commitment, while dealing with the most difficult sights imaginable.
This is not only about identifying the victims of the terrible massacre – among the most sensitive and complex processes in the Israeli healthcare system – but also about the precedent-setting committee for assessing the medical condition of hostages and missing persons, headed by Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, along with Prof. Ofer Marin and Dr. Chen Kugel, which was required to make difficult medical decisions and determine death based on photos and videos found, thereby providing certainty to many families. During this period, many findings from the Gaza Strip also arrived at the National Center, and the team performed a series of professional and complex processes to determine causes of death. In this way, doubts were resolved, and families were given certain answers.
The National Center of Forensic Medicine accompanied both the return of the hostages and the return of the fallen, and their families, with sensitivity and a deep understanding of the significance of closure for families and for the entire country.
The most important professional achievement is that all the fallen of October 7th have been identified, and there are no cases of missing persons whose fate is unknown. For this, great thanks and appreciation are due to the Center’s staff. Together with them, I hope for the swift return of the abducted fallen soldier Ran Gvili.”
Head of the Medical Division at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi: “The work done at the National Center of Forensic Medicine is sensitive and complex, as it requires making difficult medical decisions that have direct implications for families who are going through the most difficult moments of their lives. The ability to perform such work is made possible by the employees of the Center, who operate with high professionalism and deep human sensitivity, sometimes under complex conditions and under time pressure to provide quick answers that give absolute certainty.
The war brought with it moments that we had not previously encountered in the entire healthcare system and in the National Center of Forensic Medicine. Throughout the war, we were required to make weighty medical and ethical decisions, in encounters with the families of returning hostages and fallen soldiers, and also as part of the committee for assessing the condition of hostages and missing persons, but at all times we ensured that this was done with deep responsibility, professional accuracy, and great sensitivity towards the families we met.”
Director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Chen Kugel: “Forensic medicine requires an uncompromising pursuit of truth, even when the path to it is complex, painful, and sometimes unbearable. Since October 7th, the team of the National Center of Forensic Medicine has faced unprecedented workload and responsibility, and has operated with high professionalism, scientific integrity, and deep dedication, understanding that every medical determination carries immense significance for families and for the State of Israel as a whole. The role of the professional team at the Center is not limited to performing tests or identification procedures only, but to providing based and reliable answers that enable closure. Even under the most complex conditions, the teams at the Center continued to operate at the highest standards, out of commitment to human dignity, to uncovering the truth, and to doing justice.”
Director of the Laboratories Division at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Nurit Buvlil: “After two and a half complex years, we were privileged today to share with the President of the State what we have been through, the difficulties and challenges, and our endless commitment to the role and this place. The President and his wife lent us a listening ear and opened their warm hearts to us, and we truly had a moving and uplifting meeting. These were complex two years in which we experienced both the human evil of the terrorists, but also the warmth, mutual guarantee, and love of the people of Israel.”
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