National Insurance Data Reveals Scale of Civilian Casualties Since Oct 7

New figures released by Israel's National Insurance Institute on Sunday, marking the third anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks and the subsequent "Swords of Iron" war, detail the extensive civilian toll. Since October 7, 2023, a total of 1,029 civilians, including 63 children, have been murdered. Additionally, 87,286 civilians have been recognized as victims of hostile acts, with 40,407 of those recognized as disabled due to these acts. These figures encompass both Israeli and foreign civilians but exclude members of security forces and civilian defense squads.

Of the 1,029 murdered civilians, 668 were men and 361 were women. Foreign nationals accounted for 88 of the fatalities. Among the child victims under 18, there were 6 infants aged 0-3, 5 children aged 4-6, 6 children aged 7-10, 19 children aged 11-14, and 27 teenagers aged 15-18. On the day of the October 7th attacks alone, 778 civilians were killed, including 70 foreigners. In the three years following the massacre, an additional 251 civilians were murdered, 18 of them foreign nationals. Specific operations, "Am K'lavie" and "Sha'agat Ha'ari," resulted in the deaths of 35 and 36 civilians respectively.

The war has also created a significant number of bereaved family members. Since October 7th, 1,216 children have been orphaned, with 345 of them being under the age of 18. Some 300 individuals have been widowed, comprising 69 widowers and 231 widows. The institute is also supporting 1,204 bereaved parents, 156 of whom have no other children, and 2,281 bereaved siblings.

Beyond fatalities, the National Insurance Institute is processing claims for over 87,000 individuals recognized as victims of hostile acts. This includes 74,558 recognized since October 7th, with 771 foreigners among them. An additional 12,832 victims have been added during the ongoing conflict. Specific operations accounted for thousands more victims: 2,962 in "Am K'lavie" and 2,787 in "Sha'agat Ha'ari." Of all victims, 43,004 applied for disability benefits, with 40,407 recognized. The majority of these, 34,878, were recognized for psychological trauma, 3,171 for physical injuries, and 2,355 for combined physical and psychological harm.

The financial implications for the National Insurance Institute are substantial. From October to December 2023, over 800 million shekels were disbursed for victims, bereaved families, and support for hostages and their families. In 2024, this figure rose to over 2 billion shekels, and projections for 2025 exceed 3.5 billion shekels. Rehabilitation expenses, including funding for vocational and academic studies, living expenses, and accessibility services, have already surpassed 750 million shekels.