[VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

It is difficult to describe the pain, the sight of three ambulances, each carrying a young pure body from the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. The kedoshim, Naftali, Gilad and Eyal HY”D are ending their journey, a journey that shifted from their private lives to becoming shluchim for Am Yisrael 18 days earlier. The young kedoshim who for the most part were unknowns brought a message of achdus and chizuk to Jews in Eretz Yisrael and worldwide. Their plight became our concern. The fears of the mothers were the fears of every mother and the tefilos and limudim of the fathers were shared by Yidden around the globe.

Gedolim and rabbonim of all hashkafos released message to increase limud, tefilos, Tehillim, and achdus – and this is exactly what occurred. Am Yisrael became a family, a family that pushed aside the day-to-day trivialities and concentrated on its bitachon in HKBH amid a realization the fate of these young precious bnei yeshiva rested in his gentle hands. Following the discovery of the bodies some feel that now, they are really one, one neshama joined together.

Several exams were preformed on the bodies after they were flown by helicopter from the Gush Etzion area from the field in PA-occupied Halhul where they were dumped shortly after being kidnapped on that fateful Thursday night, the eve of 15 Sivan 5774. Officials now report that the recording to the call for assistance at 22:25 that night was their last and in the background, gunshots were heard.

According to what the experts have pieced together, the boys were abducted and shot to death a short time later. Their bodies were dumped and covered with some brush and stones. The terrorists set the vehicle ablaze and fled with another vehicle. Inside the burned vehicle police found spent shells and a handgun. There were also traces of DNA of the boys. It was a pair of eyeglasses of one of the youths that provided direction in the search.

Present at the forensic institute on Monday night were officials from the IDF Rabbinate, Zaka Tel Aviv Commander Rav Tzvi Chassid as well as police investigators and forensic experts.

Positive identification of the bodies was completed and then the niftarim were released as preparations for kvura began.

Spontaneous tefilos around Israel after the news of the discovery of the bodies:

A Gush Etzion resident at a memorial gathering:

Achdus at Kikar Tzion:

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: Assaf Brizinger-Lugassi, Zaka Tel Aviv)