"You Knock on the Door and Inform the Victim's Family That You Brought the Last Item He Had"

"For two weeks now, we have been here at the Lahav 433 Families Center, gathering the belongings and items of the victims, crying, sorting them, and crying, and the task is never-ending," says Chief Superintendent Vered Lichter Saul, her voice filled with unimaginable pain.

In her day-to-day job, she is usually part of the national unit responsible for economic investigations. But now, like all Lahav 433 officers, she is recruited for one sole mission – handling the belongings of the victims, currently overseeing the emotionally and practically charged task of returning each item to its rightful owner – to the families.

"I didn’t choose this difficult role," says Lichter Saul, "but it's the order I received, and frankly, I'm very pleased. Because there is a great mission here, a true kindness. These are not just belongings; for the families, each one is a world in itself. We feel that in this activity, we bring closure to families whose world was destroyed in one day, losing their dearest. We try to give them even something small, as a memory."

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)

Thousands of Items, Hundreds of Families

So how does the process actually take place?

"We collect the items from two main sources – items that were collected on-site and continue to be collected up until now, and items brought from the homes of the victims and from the military camp where the bodies were evacuated, as well as items removed during purification. We also have detective teams and investigators moving from car to car, collecting everything they find. We’re talking about thousands of items, all of which we sort and try to locate their owners."

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)

How do you do this?

"We have special investigators working around the clock. Sometimes we identify the owner using an ID card or driver's license, and sometimes we reach people who were nearby and can testify and tell us more. We have various ways to figure this out. We pack each item very carefully, and when needed, we get help from ZAKA representatives who come daily to clean the items of blood, which is, of course, collected and buried. In the next phase, we send our officers with the items to the families’ homes, making sure the officers receive a briefing and learn about the family they are about to meet and the person who was murdered. Sometimes, when it comes to items that might be emotionally difficult to accept, our officers first consult a social worker for guidance, like when returning a completely burnt cell phone or wedding ring, or an object that evidently has significant meaning."

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)

Bringing Closure

Can you tell us about especially emotional items you returned to families?

"Every item is especially emotional and represents a world in itself. Whether it is a necklace or a pendant, a lipstick or a lighter, each item takes on special value when you understand it was used by the victim in their last hours. There were also families who approached us asking to search for specific items they knew were supposed to be found. We didn’t always succeed, but in some cases, we managed, and it was very emotional."

Chief Superintendent Lichter Saul notes the peak of the project comes when hearing the families’ reactions, which are always warm and very excited. "Family members hug our officers, truly thank them from the bottom of their hearts, and the officers usually stay at their home, hearing stories about the victim, becoming partners. In some cases, when necessary, they become aware of problems or special requests the family raises, which they later pass on to us, and we try to help, whether by connecting with social services or otherwise. We operate in every dimension to embrace these precious families."

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)

Are there unidentified items, ones you have not yet managed to find who they belong to?

"Yes, there are thousands of items we cannot identify the ownership of, but it's still very important for us to return them to the families. This mostly involves clothes that came from the field, but many other things as well. Currently, we are ensuring everything is sorted, and at the end of the process, we plan to upload everything to a website where families of the victims and survivors can check the items to try and identify them. If they recognize items belonging to their loved ones, they'll be able to receive them through an online form."

On a personal note, Chief Superintendent Lichter Saul adds that this is one of the most difficult projects she has led in her role. "I have been in the police force for decades, went through all terrorist attacks in Israel Police, I have been in Abu Kabir and identified victims, and I thought I had seen it all, but the scenes we encountered over the past weeks are something else. Immediately after October 7th, we established the Families Center in Lahav 433, and since then, we’ve been meeting the families and becoming aware of their greatest pain, which is genuinely uncontainable. We ask the families for DNA samples because we understand the only way to identify the victims will not be through an external sign as we are used to but rather through dental imprints and the like, absorbing how impossible these situations are. I am glad there is at least a way to return their precious belongings, and we will continue to strive to do so until the last item is returned."

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)