An internal document seen by Ynet reveals that the forensic labs of Israel Police are struggling to extract evidence from certain items, such as knives and bullet casings, collected from various murder scenes on October 7, including the Nova Music Festival.
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These challenges could impede legal proceedings and the ability to prosecute Hamas terrorists for the atrocities they committed. The complex criminal investigation has been assigned to the special crime-fighting unit Lahav 433, which now handles cases related to the terrorist attack almost exclusively.
A senior official wrote in the document, "The lab's capability is severely limited in extracting fingerprints on projectiles and bullet casings, particularly on metal surfaces such as knives and pipe bombs."
"The primary method employed by the lab has very limited success on bullet casings and pipe bombs, with success rates approaching zero. The lab conducted in-depth research to find a solution for extracting fingerprints on spent casings and bullets, but the method tested has very low success rates in practice."
To bridge this gap, Israeli law enforcement recently reached out to foreign labs and a forensic equipment manufacturer in Britain to provide advanced equipment. According to the document, such technology was not available until recently and is capable of producing results from items belonging to the terrorists found at various murder scenes.
Lahav 433, popularly dubbed the "Israeli FBI", is spearheading the criminal investigation into the terrorists, to bring them to justice. To this end, police have compiled over 700 testimonies from survivors and secured tens of thousands of videos that chronicle acts of brutality.
Police sources say that this is the most extensive investigation in the nation's history. They report that evidence suggests the terrorists underwent years of training in preparation for the massacre.
"Terrorists revealed during their interrogation that they had received religious approval to kill children, women and infants," they said. "The terrorists stated that the purpose of beheadings and rape was to sow fear and panic among the Israeli public. The terrorists had additional plans, including reaching central Israel, which ultimately did not succeed."