Archaeologists search for traces of missing persons in the ashes of the Hamas attack

Yossi Cohen, a reserve colonel who oversaw efforts to identify the missing, went to what remained of Ram and Lili Itamari’s home in the southern Israeli village of Kfar Aza on October 15. The visit prompted him to call the head of the Antiquities Authority and ask for archaeological help, he said.

As Hamas gunmen stormed the village, Lili Itamari, 63, told her family she was hiding in a fortified safe room, her son Tomer said. As in other border villages, militants set the house on fire and when the army finally arrived at Ms Itamari’s house, they could find no trace of her.

“I realized that with more than 200 people missing and dozens of buildings and bodies burned, we need to approach this search differently,” Colonel Cohen said.

The next day, Mr. Ajami and a team began searching Ms. Itamari’s home. In the weeks since, the archaeologists have searched other destroyed houses near the Gaza border, looking for even tiny pieces of bone and teeth.

“In some ways this work is similar to our daily practice,” Mr Ajami said, including the use of standard equipment such as sieve screens and dustpans. “But it is also very different. The bones we usually find are of faceless people who died thousands of years ago.”

While searching the remains of Ms. Itamari’s home, the archaeologists found small remains that they sent for DNA analysis, allowing authorities to identify her, her son said. In another case in Be’eri, teams found teeth and blood tissue in a carpet, Mr Ajami said.

On Monday, Colonel Cohen entered a burned-out house in Be’eri. Inside, an archaeologist and a soldier knelt in a large pile of ash and swept the remains into a bucket for examination.

The teams can still find remains after a person has already been buried. An Israeli military official said that in such cases they are placed in the grave without informing the families.

The first week after the attack, Joe Uziel, an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls — a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts — sat at home “feeling helpless,” he said. When the army called for his help, he signed up.

“We have a unique set of skills that are applicable,” said Dr. Uziel. “It’s reassuring to know that I’m contributing something.”