Israeli casualties of war


Israeli casualties of war, in addition to those of Israel's seven major wars, include 9,745 soldiers and security forces personnel killed in "miscellaneous engagements and terrorist attacks", which includes security forces members killed during military operations, by fighting crime, natural disasters, diseases, traffic or labor accidents and disabled veterans whose disabilities contributed to their deaths. Between 1948 and 1997, 20,093 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat, 75,000 Israelis were wounded, and nearly 100,000 Israelis were considered disabled army veterans. On the other hand, in 2010 Yom Hazikaron, Israel honored the memory of 22,684 Israeli soldiers and pre-Israeli Palestinian Jews killed since 1860 in the line of duty for the independence, preservation and protection of the nation, and 3,971 civilian terror victims. The memorial roll, in addition to IDF members deceased, also include fallen members of the Shin Bet security service, the Mossad intelligence service, the Israel Police, the Border Police, the Israel Prisons Service, other Israeli security forces, the pre-state Jewish underground, and the Jewish Brigade and the Jewish Legion.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Anti-Defamation League, a total of 1,194 Israelis and foreigners were killed and 7,000 wounded between September 2000 and August 2010 by Palestinian terror attacks ; while more than 3,000 Israelis have been killed and 25,000 have been wounded as a result of Palestinian violence and hostile enemy action since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 until today. Another 685 Jewish residents of Mandatory Palestine were killed between 1920 and 1947 as a result of Arab riots, British anti-Zionist operations and World War II attacks. Palestinians killed 1,074 Israelis and wounded 7,520 between 2000 and 2005.
The following tables summarize Israeli casualties by war, conflict or incident.

Prior to Israel's independence

Conflicts with Arabs

Sinking of ships carrying Jewish immigrants

In the White Paper of 1939 the British government limited Jewish immigration to Palestine to 75,000 over the following five years. European Jews were anxious for ways to leave Europe, but for the most part there were few options. No countries were willing to take Jewish immigrants. However, some Eastern European states were willing to give transit visas. During World War II, many countries denied or severely limited Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust, and Palestine was one of the few destinations available.
In post-Holocaust Europe, the 1,000,000 Jewish survivors were classified as "non-repatrifiable" by the Austrian and German government. In other words, Jews were not "officially allowed to leave the countries of Central and East Europe" by the allied powers, nor were they permitted to settle in Palestine by the British.
An unknown number of Jewish refugees perished en route from European ports to Palestine, and over 30,000 holocaust survivors who successfully immigrated were interned by the British in POW camps. Many immigrant ships were sunk during the British blockade.
Note: Graph is not comprehensive
Casualties attributed to Britain's naval blockade of Mandatory PalestineDeathsSurvivors
SS Patria 2601,510
MV Struma 7851
28070
3455
34,512

Regular conflicts

Bold indicates conflicts considered wars by the Israeli Ministry of Defense :
ConflictMilitary deathsCivilian deathsTotal deaths Military and/or civilian woundedTotal casualties
War of Independence 4,0002,4006,37315,00021,400
1951–1955 fedayeen attacks including Retribution operationsUnknownUnknown400-967900-1,3001,300–2,267
1956–1967 fedayeen attacksUnknownUnknown1781,574+1,752+
1968–1987 fedayeen attacksUnknownUnknown567UnknownUnknown
Sinai War 23102318991,130
Samu Incident 1011011
Six-Day War 776207964,5175,293
War of Attrition 1,4241271,5512,7004,251+
Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon unknownunknownunknownunknownunknown
Yom Kippur War 2,65602,6569,00011,656
Operation Litani 18018113131
First Lebanon War 675507256,5007,225
South Lebanon conflict 256906361,2001,836
First Intifada 1987–199360100160500660
Palestinian political violence 1993–200017099269400669
Second Intifada 2000–2008 including Operation Defensive Wall, Operation Rainbow and Operation Days of Penitence 3327311,0638,8009,863
2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict167231942
Second Lebanon War 121441652,0672,237
Operation Cast Lead 10313518531
Current Palestinian and foreigner violence in Israel and the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip including Operation Pillar of Defense 185270322392+
2010 Israel–Lebanon border clash, Hanikra border clash and Golan clashes4151722
Operation Protective Edge 67572530602

Terror and other attacks 1948-1967

Terror and other attacks 1968–1987

Note: Table is not comprehensive
Terrorism and other attacks 1968–1987Military deathsCivilian deaths Total deathsMilitary and/or Civilian woundedTotal casualties
Hijacking of El Al Flight 25301112
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attacks Athens Airport following the Hijacking of El Al Flight 426.01112
September 1968 Tel Aviv bombings0117172
November 1968 Mahaneh Yehuda car bomb attack012125264
February 1969 Jerusalem bombing0222022
October 1969 Haifa apartment bombings0442024
February 1970 El Al bus attack01189
13 February 1970 Swissair Flight 330 attack04747unknown47+
1970 Avivim school bus massacre012122537
Dawson's Field hijackings00011
1971 bombing Ben Yehuda attack00000
Hijacking of Sabena Flight 57250516
1972 Lod Airport massacre0262680 non-Israelis106+
1972 Munich massacre11112012
1974 Kiryat Shmona massacre01818Unknown18+
1974 Ma'alot massacre0272778105
Hijacking of TWA Flight 84128688088
1974 bombing Ben Yehuda attack0001313
10 February Munich airport attack12012012
1975 Savoy hotel attack3811UnknownUnknown
1975 Ben Yehuda attack015157792
April 1976 bombing Ben Yehuda attack00000
1976 bombing Ben Yehuda attack0003333
Hijacking of Air France Flight 139, precipitating Operation Entebbe1451419
1978 Coastal Road massacre1383971110+
1979 bombing Ben Yehuda attack0111314
1979 Nahariya attack156UnknownUnknown
1980 Misgav-Am attack1451525
1981 bombing Ben Yehuda attack00011
1982 Tyre suicide bombing752710255157
1983 Tyre suicide bombing28326040100
1984 bus 300 incident01178
1984 bombing Ben Yehuda attack00000
1985 Ras Burqa massacre077411
1985 Egypt Air attack06060unknown60
1987 Northern Border attack606814

Attacks against Israeli diplomatic missions

Suicide Bombings

From 1993–2003, 303 Palestinian suicide bombers attacked Israel. More than 80% of all suicide bombings occurred after the year 2000. 55% of all suicide attacks were deemed "successful" – that is, resulted in killing themselves and injuring or killing others. Suicide bombings constituted just 0.5% of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the first two years of the Second Intifada, though this percentage accounted for half of the Israelis killed in that period.
YearRealized suicide bombing attacksKilledWounded
199443875
1995435150
1996567161
1997524359
19982328
1999200
20004610
20013585323
200260220119
200326142105
20041555172
200572363
200641531
2007130
20082122

Between 2000 and 2006, 521 suicide bombing plots were thwarted by the Israeli Defense Forces and 540 Israelis were killed by suicide bombings.

Non-combat military casualties

171 Israeli soldiers have been killed in training exercises and non-combat roles since 1977.

Wars ranked by total deaths

  1. 1948 Arab–Israeli War
  2. Yom Kippur War
  3. War of Attrition
  4. Six-Day War
  5. 1982 Lebanon War
  6. Suez Crisis
  7. 2006 Lebanon War

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