The ZAKA team that responded to the crash site of the Ethiopian Airlines flight has returned to Israel. As YWN reported, the aircrafts crashed six minutes after departure from Addis Ababa, killing all of the 157 passengers and crew on board. There were Jews on the flight along with Americans and passengers of at least 35 nationalities among those who perished enroute to Nairobi, Kenya. The plane was a Boeing 737 MAX and the incident resulted in the US grounding all Boeing 737 MAX jets pending the investigation to determine the result of the crash.

After eight days of intensive activity, members of the ZAKA delegation are returning from the disaster site. Unfortunately, they did not succeed in bringing the bodies of the Israeli Jews to Israel.

The delegation of volunteers, headed by ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, worked for eight days around the clock in a supreme effort, with sincere devotion and difficult conditions, in order to do everything to locate and identify them and bring them to kever Yisrael. The two Israelis killed in the crash are Avraham Matzliach Z”L, 49, from Maale Adumim and Shimon Re’em, 55, from Zichron Yaakov.

On the days when ZAKA volunteers were allowed to operate at the crash site, they were able to locate and collect hundreds of important findings that could assist in identifying the victims.

ZAKA officials explain, “The conduct and activity vis-a-vis the Ethiopian bureaucracy is neither simple nor understandable. Either because they lack the ability and experience to manage a disaster of this magnitude, or because of the natural bureaucracy of a third world country.”

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav: “There are still thousands of items belonging to the victims at the crash site at the scene. In an assessment of the situation with the Israeli ambassador and consul in Ethiopia, it was decided that there was no point in keeping the ZAKA volunteer team at the scene. The Foreign Ministry and the National Security Council in Israel will continue with the diplomatic effort and other means of action to obtain permanent and orderly approval for continued work in the area so that the ZAKA volunteers can return and finish the holy work in a thorough and professional manner. We will turn over the world to try to bring the bodies of those Israelis who perished to kever Yisrael,” said Meshi Zahav.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)