Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz has ordered the National Center of Forensic Medicine to perform autopsies on Shabbat. The move, to be implemented by late 2021, is aimed at expediting the efforts of the police and State Attorney's Office as well as honoring the victims' families, who wish to bury their loved ones as soon as possible, in accordance with religious customs and tradition.
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The institute, located in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Abu Kabir, is the only center in Israel that performs forensic autopsies in accordance with police and State Attorney's Office guidelines.
For years, the issue was brushed aside. It was brought to the forefront after dozens of people were killed in a stampede at a Lag B'Omer festival on Mt. Meron in April 2020.
Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee Chairman Walid Taha of the Ra'am party along with lawmakers from the Joint Arab List contacted Horowitz multiple times over the last few months in an effort to allow the center to perform autopsies over the weekend. They said the move was aimed at allowing Muslim families to bury their relatives in accordance with their religious customs.
The implementation of Horowitz's order will be made possible thanks to efforts led by Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash and other senior officials as well as National Center of Forensic Medicine Director Dr. Chen Kugel.
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