WARNING: this story contains graphic and distressing content

When Israeli-American artist Tomer Peretz booked flights for himself and his two young boys from Los Angeles to Israel for a cousin’s wedding, he anticipated a fun-filled time with close family and friends.

He was planning on music, dancing and laughing with loved ones they hadn’t seen in a while.

But within days of his arrival, everything changed when Hamas launched their surprise, early-morning terror attack on Oct. 7, leading to the loss of over 1,400 Israeli lives and for the country to declare war on the terror group.

Peretz, 41, was not just horrified and appalled by the attack — he also felt a sense of duty to help his countrymen.

He immediately put his hand up to volunteer for Zaka, the country’s civilian rescue and recovery organization.

However, nothing could prepare him for what would happen next, as he was assigned to a highly specialized unit which clears dead bodies after disasters and sent into the Be’eri kibbutz, where more than 100 people, including babies, had been tortured and slaughtered by merciless Hamas attack.

Peretz insisted on describing to The Post what he had seen to convey the level of atrocity and barbarism of the terrorists.

Among the victims’ bodies he personally recovered were burned babies, a woman who had been “shot in the face about 20 times”, innocent men and elderly people.

“Everything was kind of blown, there was no face,” Peretz said of the woman who had been shot to death.

“We picked up body parts like arms … My team picked up a burned baby with an ax in its head. My team leader put the baby inside a bag.”

He told The Post his job was to lift the burnt, bloodied corpses, then wrap and roll them in plastic, before writing the person’s house number on their back with a marker, and putting them in a bag, per Zaka’s protocol.

The body bags are then placed in a refrigerated truck and handed over to the military, he said.

He told The Post his job was to lift the burnt, bloodied corpses, then wrap and roll them in plastic, before writing the person’s house number on their back with a marker, and putting them in a bag, per Zaka’s protocol.

“We don’t know what the military does with the bodies next but I assume that’s when the DNA check process starts,” Peretz, who arrived back in the US with his sons a week ago, said.

Be’eri — a kibbutz or communal farm — has 1,100 residents in total across its area and lies near the Gaza border wall, which Hamas broke through to launch their attack from.

During their day-long rampage in the Be’eri kibbutz, Hamas militants roamed neighborhoods shooting residents dead, setting fire to homes and killing those who tried to escape the smoke and flames.

They murdered more than 120 people, including children, and kidnapped others.

The Israeli military was the first to discover the atrocities which had taken place as they inspected what was left of homes and buildings in order to make sure they were clear of bombs and to gather information about casualties.

Then, Zaka’s specialized unit was called in to carry out their gruesome but essential work.

Peretz said he personally handled at least 40 bodies and saw more than 100 during the three and a half days he volunteered with Zaka before returning to the US.