Three years after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, Israeli rescuer Natan Kenig remains deeply traumatised, experiencing daily flashbacks of the atrocities he witnessed.
Kenig, a volunteer with Zaka, an Orthodox Jewish group responsible for collecting the remains of victims of violent deaths, described seeing "atrocities" and "the most terrible things in the world." He recounted arriving at the scene in the early hours of October 7, 2023, to find rows of burnt-out cars and bodies on the asphalt. He has been undergoing therapy due to the severity of the flashbacks.
For three decades, Kenig has volunteered with Zaka, an organisation known for its rapid response to scenes of attacks and accidents. Members are trained to assist survivors before attending to the deceased, adhering to Jewish burial traditions. Kenig was alerted to the unfolding events and immediately headed towards the Gaza border.
The scale of the attack, which claimed 1,221 lives in total according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures, was not immediately apparent to Kenig when he first arrived near the site of the Nova music festival, where over 370 people were killed. He described the harrowing conditions of the victims, some burnt beyond recognition in their cars or homes. He recalled collecting only "a few hundred grams" of ash from one car, along with a ring and a fragment of a phone, uncertain of the number of individuals inside.
Kenig continued his grim task of collecting remains until February 2024, stating that for him, "October 7 lasted four months." The profound horror of the experience has left him with "a deep scar," impacting his professional life as a chef, as the sight of burnt bodies has made cooking meat unappealing. His social life has also been affected, sometimes requiring him to abruptly leave gatherings when traumatic memories resurface.
Despite his suffering, Kenig maintains a resilient spirit. A devout Jew, he refuses to dwell in self-pity, expressing gratitude for being alive and a determination to continue living. He keeps hundreds of photos and videos from that day on his phone, viewing them as crucial evidence and a testament for future generations, ensuring that such an event "never happens again."
