Americans who donated their bodies to science had no idea their remains were being used by Israeli military medics for combat training, a disturbing breach of trust.

• USC has been selling donated bodies to the US Navy since 2018, and the Navy hands them to Israeli military medics for training four times a year in Los Angeles.
• The bodies are "fresh tissue" cadavers, meaning recently deceased and not chemically preserved. Some are reanimated with pumps and dyed fluids to simulate a living patient.
• Donors and their families were never told the bodies could be used by the IDF, only that they would go to scientific research.
• The training covers combat injuries like gunshot and blast wounds, and Israeli surgeons have been embedding with units on the front lines in Gaza since October 2023.
• The story was uncovered by USC student journalists and reported by Al Jazeera. US mainstream media has not picked it up.

Outlook: The revelation will likely make Americans less willing to donate their bodies to science, and could pressure USC and the Navy to end or disclose the program.