Israeli casualties of war
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Memorial_of_Fallen_Soldiers_from_the_Yom_Kippur_War_-_Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces.jpg/300px-Memorial_of_Fallen_Soldiers_from_the_Yom_Kippur_War_-_Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces.jpg)
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",[1] 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.[2] Between 1948 and 1997, 20,093[3] Israeli soldiers were killed in combat, 75,000 Israelis were wounded, and nearly 100,000[4] 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.[2][5][6] 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 (which served alongside British forces in World War II and World War I respectively).
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Anti-Defamation League, a total of 1,194 Israelis and foreigners were killed[7][8] and 7,000 wounded[9] between September 2000 and August 2010 by Palestinian terror attacks (most of them during 2000–2005 Second Intifada); while more than 3,000 Israelis[10][11] have been killed and 25,000 have been wounded as a result of Palestinian violence and hostile enemy action (without including wars) 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.[12][13]
Palestinians killed 1,074 Israelis and wounded 7,520 between 2000 and 2005.[14]
The following tables summarize Israeli casualties by war, conflict or incident.
Prior to Israel's independence
Conflicts with Arabs
Conflicts prior to Israel's independence | Military deaths | Civilian deaths | Total deaths | Military and/or Civilian wounded | Total casualties |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battle of Tel Hai | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
1920 Nebi Musa riots | 0 | 5 | 5 | 216 | 221 |
1921 Jaffa riots | 0 | 47[15] | 47 | 146 | 193 |
1921 Jerusalem riots | 0 | 5 | 5 | Unknown | Unknown |
1929 Buraq riots | 0 | 133 | 133 | 339 | 472 |
1933 Palestine riots | 0 | 0 | 0 | Unknown | Unknown |
1936–1939 Arab revolt | 0 | 415+[16] | 415 | 1,200+ | 1,615 |
Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine | At least 34 members of Palmach[17] | Unknown | 50-100 | Unknown | Unknown |
1947–48 Civil War | 895 | 408[18] | 1,303+ | 2,000[19] | 3,303 |
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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[22] Many immigrant ships were sunk during the British blockade.[citation needed]
Note: Graph is not comprehensive
Casualties attributed to Britain's naval blockade of Mandatory Palestine | Deaths | Survivors |
---|---|---|
SS Patria (sunk by the Jewish paramilitary group Haganah) | 260[23] | 1,510 |
MV Struma (sunk by Soviet submarine in the Black Sea on World War II) | 785[24] | 1[15] |
SS Bulgaria | 280 | 70 |
MV Mefküre (sunk by Soviet submarine in the Black Sea in World War II) | 345 | 5 |
SS Exodus | 3 | 4,512 |
Regular conflicts
Bold indicates conflicts considered wars by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (as they were named by Israel):[25]
Conflict | Military deaths | Civilian deaths | Total deaths (not including foreigners) | Military and/or Civilian wounded | Total casualties |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
War of Independence | 4,000 | 2,400 | 6,373[1] | 15,000[26] | 21,400 |
1951–1955 fedayeen attacks including Retribution operations | Unknown | Unknown | 400[27]-967[28] | 900[27]-1,300[29] | 1,300–2,267 |
1956–1967 fedayeen attacks | Unknown | Unknown | 178[12] | 1,574+[30] | 1,752+ |
1968–1987 fedayeen attacks | Unknown | Unknown | 567[12] | Unknown | Unknown |
Sinai War | 231[1] | 0 | 231 | 899 | 1,130 |
Samu Incident | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
Six Day War | 776[31] | 20[32] | 796 | 4,517 | 5,293 |
War of Attrition | 1,424[33][34] | 127[34] | 1,551 | 2,700 | 4,251+ |
Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
Yom Kippur War | 2,656 | 0 | 2,656 | 9,000 | 11,656 |
Operation Litani | 18[35] | 0 | 18 | 113[35] | 131 |
First Lebanon War | 675 | 50 | 725 | 6,500[36][37][38] | 7,225 |
South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000) | 256 | 90 | 636 | 1,200 | 1,836 |
First Intifada 1987–1993 | 60[39] | 100[39] | 160 | 500 | 660 |
Palestinian political violence 1993–2000 | 170[40] | 99 | 269 | 400 | 669 |
Second Intifada 2000–2008 including Operation Defensive Wall, Operation Rainbow and Operation Days of Penitence (fatalities since the outbreak of the Second Intifada and until Operation Cast Lead) | 332[10] | 731[10] | 1,063 | 8,800[41][42] | 9,863[43] |
2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict | 16 | 7 | 23 | 19 | 42 |
Second Lebanon War | 121 | 44 | 165 | 2,067 | 2,237[44] |
Operation Cast Lead | 10[45] | 3 | 13 | 518 | 531 |
Current Palestinian and foreigner violence in Israel and the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip (since 19 January 2009) including Operation Pillar of Defense (excluding Operation Protective Edge) | 18[46][47][48][49][50] | 52[46][51][52][53][54][55][56] | 70[7] | 322[57][58][59][60] | 392+ |
2010 Israel–Lebanon border clash, Hanikra border clash and Golan clashes | 4[61][62][63] | 1[64] | 5 | 17[64][65][66][67][68] | 22 |
Operation Protective Edge | 67 [69] | 5 | 72 | 530 | 602 |
Terror and other attacks 1948-1967
Terror and other attacks 1968–1987
Note: Table is not comprehensive
Attacks against Israeli diplomatic missions
Suicide Bombings
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/HAMAS_suicide_bombing_in_Jerusalem_on_25_February_%28DoS_Publication_10321%29.png)
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.[80] 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.[81]
Year | Realized suicide bombing attacks | Killed | Wounded |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | 4 | 38[82] | 75 |
1995 | 4 | 35[82] | 150 |
1996 | 5 | 67[82] | 161 |
1997 | 5 | 24[82] | 359 |
1998 | 2 | 3[82] | 28 |
1999 | 2 | 0[82] | 0 |
2000 | 4 | 6[41] | 10 |
2001 | 35 | 85[41] | 323 |
2002 | 60 | 220[41] | 119[83] |
2003 | 26 | 142[41] | 105 |
2004 | 15 | 55[41] | 172 |
2005 | 7 | 23[41] | 63 |
2006 | 4 | 15[41] | 31 |
2007 | 1 | 3[84] | 0 |
2008 | 2 | 1[85] | 22 |
Between 2000 and 2006, 521[41] suicide bombing plots were thwarted by the Israeli Defense Forces and 540 Israelis were killed by suicide bombings.[41]
Non-combat military casualties
171 Israeli soldiers have been killed in training exercises and non-combat roles since 1977.[86][87]
Wars ranked by total deaths
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Evacuated_Casualties_of_the_Yom_Kippur_War_-_Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces.jpg/250px-Evacuated_Casualties_of_the_Yom_Kippur_War_-_Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces.jpg)
- 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- Yom Kippur War
- War of Attrition
- Six-Day War
- 1982 Lebanon War
- Suez Crisis
- 2006 Lebanon War
Gallery of memorials
-
Druze soldiers memorial in Daliyat Al-Karmel
Gallery
-
Ambushed Egged bus of the Ma'ale Akrabim massacre
-
Remains of armored supply convoys used during the siege of Jerusalem
-
Aftermath of an aerial bombing on Tel Aviv during World War II
-
Scene of destruction in the Jewish Quarter after the Hebron massacre
-
Qassam rocket attack on southern Israel
-
Aftermath of the Ben Yehuda Street bombing
-
Aftermath of the Jerusalem bulldozer attack
-
Charred remains of the hijacked Egged bus during the Coastal Road massacre
-
A destroyed bus after being attacked by a suicide bomber during the Southern Israel cross-border attacks.
See also
- Palestinian political violence
- Timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- List of attacks against Israeli civilians before 1967
- List of Israeli civilian casualties in the Second Intifada
- Violence against Israelis in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2001
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2002
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2003
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2004
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2005
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2006
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2007
- Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2008
- List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2011
- Yom Hazikaron
- Palestinian casualties of war
References
- ^ a b c Israeli Casualties in Battle. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ a b "24,293 fallen soldiers and terror victims".
- ^ The Arab-Israeli Wars. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Dershowitz, Alan M.. (24 February 2010) MKs probe treatment of disabled IDF veterans... JPost – Israel. Jpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ "2010 Memorial Day" (in Hebrew). . NRG Maariv. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Aurora (Spanish)
- ^ a b "Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000".
- ^ List of Palestinian terror victims. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ The Second Intifada/Outbreak of Palestinian Violence September 2000. Adl.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ a b c B'Tselem – Statistics – Fatalities. Btselem.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Which Came First – Terrorism or "Occupation"? Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ a b c "Terrorism deaths in Israel – 1920–1999".
- ^ Palestinian violence and terrorism since September. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ "Do targeted killings work?", Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006, Volume 85, Number 2, p. 95-112
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- ^ Special UN report by the United Nations Special Commission (16 April 1948), § II.5
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- ^ Deaths of 260 in 1940 ship explosion commemorated | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California. Jewishsf.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Aroni, Samuel (2002–2007). "Who Perished on the Struma And How Many?". JewishGen.org.
- ^ Israeli military decorations by campaign
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- ^ Martin Gilbert (2005). The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN 0-415-35901-5.
- ^ Sachar, History of Israel, p. 450.
- ^ Martin Gilbert (2005). The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. p. 78. ISBN 0-415-35901-5.
- ^ According to the israeli Foreign Affairs office
- ^ Oren, p. 185–187
- ^ Gard, Mitchell. "Myths & Facts Online: The War of Attrition, 1967–1970". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
- ^ a b Lorch, Netanel (2 September 2003). 2,000+ soldier and 700 civilian wounded "The Arab-Israeli Wars". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
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value (help) - ^ a b Kober, Avi: Israel's Wars of Attrition: Attrition Challenges to Democratic States, p. 64
- ^ Wounds in Israeli Battle Casualties during the 1982 Evacuation of Wounded from Lebanon, Rosenblatt 1985
- ^ Myths & Facts – Israel and Lebanon. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Israel's Invasion of Lebanon, Operation Peace for the Galilee. Eretzyisroel.org (17 May 1983). Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ a b B'Tselem – Statistics – Fatalities in the first Intifada. Btselem.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the DOP (Sept 1993). Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
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- ^ Second Intifada Timeline. Mideastweb.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Hizbullah attacks northern Israel and Israel's response 12-Jul-2006. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Israeli troops step up attacks on Hamas outside Gaza City. Sebastian Rotella and Rushdi abu Alouf, Los Angeles Times, 13 January 2009
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- ^ "IDF tanks leave Gaza after clashes". Jerusalem Post. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
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- ^ "Policeman killed in shooting attack south of Hebron". Ynet. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ "Four Israelis shot dead by terrorists in West Bank". Jerusalem Post. 31 August 2010.
- ^ Sherwood, Harriet (12 March 2011). "Five members of Jewish family killed in suspected Palestinian militant attack". Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
- ^ "Controversy Surrounds Fatal Stoning Attack in Israel". 25 September 2011.
- ^ 1 killed in rocket attack on Ashkelon, Ynet News 29 October 2011
- ^ Devastation in Kiryat Malachi after deadly strike, Jerusalem Post 15 November 2012
- ^ Pedestrian killed in excavator terror attack in Jerusalem, Times of Israel, 4 August 2014
- ^ Dershowitz, Alan M.. (14 June 2010) Policeman killed in W. Bank attack... JPost – Israel. Jpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Dershowitz, Alan M.. (21 June 2010) Police crack east J'lem terror cells. Jpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Dershowitz, Alan M.. (27 June 2010) 2 Border Guards stoned in east Jerusalem – JPost – Headlines. JPost. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ "7 injured in south Tel Aviv terror attack". Jerusalem Post. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "Lethal clash: Senior IDF commander killed in border skirmish – Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews.com. 20 June 1995. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
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- ^ "IDF releases names of Givati officer and soldier killed in Hezbollah attack". Jerusalem Post. 28 January 2015.
- ^ a b Lappin, Yaakov (22 March 2014). "14-year-old killed in Golan Heights in cross-border fire from Syria". Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Wyre Davies (3 August 2010). "BBC News – Israel-Lebanon border clash kills five people". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ^ Kershner, Isabel (18 March 2014). "Blast in Golan Heights Wounds 4 Israeli Soldiers". The New York Times.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (9 October 2013). "2 soldiers lightly hurt after Syrian mortars hit Golan". Ynet News.
- ^ "Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Attack Claimed by Lebanon's Hezbollah". The Wall Street Journal. 28 January 2015.
- ^ http://www.ynet.co.il/home/0,7340,L-11584,00.html
- ^ a b c d Terrorist attacks 1968–1973. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org (11 October 1973). Retrieved on 2011-06-17. Cite error: The named reference "JVL1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d e f g Terrorist attacks. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ Martin Gilbert (2005). The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. p. 79. ISBN 0-415-35901-5.
- ^ a b c Terror list 1967–1993. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ a b Chronologies of modern terrorism. Barry Rubin, Barry M. Rubin, Judith Colp Rubin. pg 185
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Major Terror Attacks Against Israeli Embassies and Representatives Abroad".
- ^ here Major Terror Attacks against Israeli Embassies and Representatives Abroad. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
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- ^ Profile of Suicide Bombings. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org (14 August 2003). Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
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- ^ a b c d e f Major Palestinian Terror Attacks Since Oslo. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-17.
- ^ [1] Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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