Israel Reports 1,318 Fallen Since War's Start, Three Years After October 7

Three years after the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of Defense's Families, Commemoration, and Heritage Administration announced that 1,318 members of Israel's security forces have fallen since the fighting began on October 7, 2023. The figures include 1,153 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) casualties, among them 43 members of emergency response teams, 116 Israel Police officers, 11 Prison Service officers, nine Shin Bet agents, and five firefighters. Additionally, 24 disabled veterans died from injuries sustained during the war.

The circle of bereaved families has grown by over 7,150 individuals since the war began, including 2,143 bereaved parents, 3,772 siblings, 880 orphans, and 355 widows. The Soldier Commemoration Unit has organized funerals in 282 cemeteries and military plots across the country and arranged burials abroad. Following the October 7 events, 15 family members were buried alongside their fallen relatives. Twenty-one casualties initially buried in temporary graves were reinterred in their hometowns once the security situation stabilized, with 18 moved to communities in the Gaza envelope.

In parallel, over 30 military plots have been expanded, three new cemeteries were built for the Druze community in Beerka, Sajur, and Jath, and the cemetery in Marar was enlarged. The Ministry of Defense stated that alongside ongoing support, it has expanded financial and emotional assistance, including recognition for fiancées and enhanced services for orphans and siblings. The Pensions Unit has advanced a NIS 60 million nursing reform and NIS 50 million for exceptional committee assistance, while the Social Services Unit operates hundreds of support groups with approximately 500 volunteers.

Aryeh Moalem, Deputy Director General and Head of the Families, Commemoration, and Heritage Administration, stated, "The State of Israel has a moral obligation to those who gave their lives for it, and this debt becomes a deep and ongoing commitment to the bereaved families who carry the longing and the absence every day. Three years since the war's outbreak, we bow our heads to the fallen, carry their life stories, and commit that their families will never walk alone."