As if any more disturbing details about the Mumbai massacre could emerge, it’s now being reported that many of the victims were also tortured — and no one more so than the Israelis killed in the Chabad house. DEBKAfile reports that Rivka Holtzberg, wife of the center’s rabbi, Gavriel, was also six months pregnant, and that the toddler rescued from the house by his Indian nanny bore bruises indicating that the captors had beaten him. The bodies of the Israelis, who were the largest group of foreigners to be killed by the terrrorists, returned to Israel to be buried today: Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinovitz, 50, of Mexico, who was immigrating to Israel, where two of her children already live; the Holtzbergs (pictured); Yocheved Harpaz, 59, a mother of four from Givatayim; Betzion Chroman, 28, a father of three who held dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, and Leibisch Teitelbaum, the father of 8 and an American from Brooklyn.

Rediff India has more on the doctors’ findings from examining the bodies:

“Asked what was different about the victims of the incident, another doctor said: ‘It was very strange. I have seen so many dead bodies in my life, and was yet traumatised. A bomb blast victim’s body might have been torn apart and could be a very disturbing sight. But the bodies of the victims in this attack bore such signs about the kind of violence of urban warfare that I am still unable to put my thoughts to words,’ he said.


Asked specifically if he was talking of torture marks, he said: ‘It was apparent that most of the dead were tortured. What shocked me were the telltale signs showing clearly how the hostages were executed in cold blood,’ one doctor said.


The other doctor, who had also conducted the post-mortem of the victims, said: ‘Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks. It was clear that they were killed on the 26th itself. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details even in my head again,’ he said.


Corroborating the doctors’ claims about torture was the information that the Intelligence Bureau had about the terror plan. ‘During his interrogation, Ajmal Kamal said they were specifically asked to target the foreigners, especially the Israelis,’ an IB source said.


It is also said that the Israeli hostages were killed on the first day as keeping them hostage for too long would have focused too much international attention. ‘They also might have feared the chances of Israeli security agencies taking over the operations at the Nariman House,’ he reasoned.


On the other hand, there is enough to suggest that the terrorists also did not meet a clean, death.


…An intelligence agency source added: ‘One of the terrorists was shot through either eye.’


A senior National Security Guard officer, who had earlier explained the operation in detail to rediff.com, said the commandos went all out after they ascertained that there were no more hostages left. When asked if the commandos attempted to capture them alive at that stage, he replied: ‘Unko bachana kaun chahega (Who will want to save them)?’”

Also being reported today is that the gunmen stayed awake to battle as long as they did by using cocaine.