Dead Athletes Being Flown Home

A special El Al plane left for Munich this afternoon to bring home the members of Israel’s Olympic squad who escaped death at the hands of Arab terrorists. A second plane is expected to leave tonight to bring back the victims in their coffins. The Israeli squad was ordered home by Deputy Premier Yigal Allon who is in overall charge of sports matters.

The team members themselves asked to be removed as soon as possible from the scene of the tragedy. But the problem of identifying the dead may delay the return of the coffins of some of the squad members who may be required to identify their dead team mates.

Rabbi Mordechai Firon, chief chaplain of the Israeli Army, flew to Munich earlier today to help identify the bodies and prepare them for burial as soon as they arrive in Israel. One of the main problems was the condition of the bodies. Some were badly burned when the helicopter in which they were held was set fire by a terrorist grenade and exploded. There is also the problem of identifying and removing the bodies of the terrorists killed in the same explosion.

STATE FUNERAL FOR VICTIMS

The Cabinet decided today on a State funeral for the victims. No date or time has been announced. No State mourning was declared. But the impact of the Munich tragedy was visible all over Israel. Very few people went to the movies tonight and the usually crowded cafes in Tel Aviv were almost empty.

Many people gathered on street corners to listen to speakers demanding retaliatory action against the terrorists “wherever they are.” Herut leader Menachem Beigin called for an all-out offensive across the borders and Gen. Ezer Weizman, chairman of the Herut Executive noted that it was mainly Syria and Egypt that aid the terrorists.