The Silent Killer: What Is Really Killing 12,000 Israelis a Year?

An electronic cigarette, a source of infections | Photo: 19 STUDIO, Shutterstock The Silent Killer: What Is Really Killing 12,000 Israelis a Year? Zion Benjo 14:59 7 42 15 Health Ministry report reveals: 23% of deaths in Israel are caused by smoking • As teenagers abandon tobacco for electronic cigarettes, the Health Ministry declares war, graphic warnings will cover cigarette packs starting this coming August • How can the epidemic be stopped? The Health Minister's report, submitted yesterday (Tuesday) to the Knesset, holds up a troubling mirror to Israeli society. The figures, based on 2025 data, show that smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of death, with a devastating impact on public health and the health care system. 1 + Photo: AboutLife, Shutterstock According to the report, about 12,386 people in Israel lost their lives in 2022 as a direct result of smoking, a figure that represents about 23% of all deaths in the country that year. Of these, nearly 900 deaths were attributed to "passive smoking," meaning people who did not smoke themselves but were exposed to other people's smoke in public or at home. The gaps in exposure to involuntary smoking are significant: while about 29% of the Jewish population is exposed to involuntary smoking, the figure rises to 48.5% in the Arab population. The quiet revolution among young people: electronic before regular One of the most jarring findings in the report concerns the younger generation. For the first time in the history of monitoring in Israel, the rate of those who have experimented with electronic cigarettes is higher than the rate of those who have experimented with regular tobacco cigarettes. About 20% of students have tried an electronic cigarette, compared with only about 19% for tobacco cigarettes. The upward trend is especially worrying given that 17% of students reported using electronic cigarettes in the past month alone. 1 + Photo: Nati Shohat, Flash 90 The next steps: a graphic war against rising smoking rates, which stand at 23.1% among adults, with a peak of 46.2% among Arab men, the Health Ministry is tightening the screws: starting in August 2026, all smoking products in Israel will be required to carry threatening graphic warnings covering 75% of the package surface. In addition, national programs are being launched that include expanding cessation services and stricter oversight by the health funds. Health Ministry cigarettes risk smoking 7 Write a comment