The body of an invading terrorist killed on October 7 was found with condoms and three grenades in their pockets, a reservist tasked with collecting the fingerprints of those killed during the invasion told N12 on Thursday.
The reservist, Shlomo Efrati, explained that they quickly realized that the body of a terrorist had been sent to them when they were cataloguing the massacre’s victims to later identify them.
“As soon as we opened the bag, we realized that it was an Arab body: flip-flops and a long nail on his little finger, a ring with a black stone and a Quran in his pocket," Efrati told N12. A bomb disposal unit was called to the scene after they discovered three grenades in the terrorist’s pockets alongside a pack of condoms.
“He came to murder and rape. That's the moment you realize that you're dealing with pure evil. This is not a man who came to fight for his land, this is a man who came to satisfy his darkest desires," Efrati said. “I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Not for his death, but for the life that was in him. For his ability to choose good, and for his choice of evil.”
“He didn't look like a fighter, but like a resident who joined just like that on the way," Efrati recounted to N12. "I remember that despite the difficulty, I said to myself, 'His choice, his soul, is absolute evil, but his body has the image of God, God created him like he created me – he chose to be a bad man, but God did that too.' And I took his fingerprints for the slim chance, the 0% that it was someone we knew after all. They treated him like they treated everyone else and put him in the refrigerator."
Identifying Hamas's victims
On another body, Efrati said he found a swastika tattoo - a contrast to the peace symbol he found on multiple victims.
After spending months identifying bodies, Efrati was discharged from the reserves in December 2024 and it was then he realized he needed to seek mental health support.
The father of four collected 700 fingerprints with his teammate, helping to provide answers for many families and proper burials for numerous victims. He spent 12 hours a day collecting fingerprints and watching the news for familiar faces.
“The first two days, I ate less, simply because there was no time for it. I knew all the time that I had to function and keep myself alive, but I couldn't get caught up in it,” he shared with N12. “You know that you're in this now and doing it for the people of Israel and for your children, for the parents and children of the people you're taking care of, and I can't let myself get caught up in the thoughts."