'The Same Evil': ZAKA Volunteers Begin Gruesome Task at Sydney Terror Site Under Rare Permit
ZAKA volunteers have begun the heartbreaking task of collecting biological remains at the Bondi Beach shooting site, with the delegation leader stating that the "sights and smells" of the Sydney massacre were a direct echo of the October 7 atrocities.
A Scene Frozen in Time
The ZAKA volunteers, working in professional coordination with the Sydney Police and local security forces, reported that the shooting site had been left exactly as it was in the moments following the horrific attack. The delegation was granted entry only after sustained efforts by the organization and leaders of the Australian Jewish community to negotiate with the government.
Upon entering, volunteers began the meticulous process of collecting blood and other biological remains that require burial. The operation is being carried out with the direct support of the Sydney Police, who have acknowledged the religious and humanitarian importance of this mission.
Flashbacks to October 7
For many members of the delegation, the experience has been a traumatic reminder of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel last year. Yossi Landau, the ZAKA unit commander for the Lachish region and head of the delegation, described the scene as a "silent testimony to lives cut brutally short."
"The sights and smells immediately brought flashbacks to October 7. It is the same evil and the same pain," Landau stated. "We worked with devout reverence to collect and gather all the items and blood left at the scene, so that not a single drop of blood would be left behind. This is our moral and Jewish obligation."
High-Level Cooperation Amidst Tragedy
Before entering the site, the ZAKA delegation held high level meetings with Commissioner Krissy Barrett of the Australian Federal Police and Interior and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Both officials expressed their deep grief over the massacre and thanked the volunteers for their difficult work.
ZAKA officials emphasized that the operation is far from over, as the shooting involved a large number of separate scenes across the Bondi area. The teams are scheduled to return to the site at first light on Wednesday morning to continue their efforts. The presence of the Israeli organization, which specializes in disaster victim identification, underscores the severity of the antisemitic war being waged against Jewish communities globally.