Israel bows its head in remembrance of 934 civilians and 931 security forces who lost their lives since Oct 7

Marking the Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, which began Tuesday evening, the INSS security think tank published a special memorial project, allowing a detailed look at those who lost their lives for the sake of the country.

“The lovers of the land – who gave her all they could – come from every corner: veteran reservists with families; young men, handsome and noble, just beginning their journey in life; female soldiers and combat support; Jews and non-Jews; native-born Israelis and immigrants, both new and longstanding,” INSS wrote.

The total number of the fallen in Israel's wars now stands at 25,420. The number includes victims since 1860, the year from which Israel, and the pre-state Jewish community in the region, began counting its fallen soldiers and defenders.

Ages, communities, and dates that tell a story of heroism and pain: the data behind the fallen from Israel’s security forces and victims of terrorism in the Swords of Iron War.
A special memorial project by the Data Analytics Center >> https://t.co/RvST44UNOg pic.twitter.com/ecMBI6WVH7

— INSS (@INSSIsrael) April 29, 2025

“The number killed in this most recent war – one that is not yet over – is unfathomable. But we must not allow the scale of loss to obscure the truth that behind every number and every title are faces and names: loved ones and family members; a child who will no longer call out ‘Abba’ (daddy) and a father who will no longer embrace his daughter. Entire worlds.”

During the ongoing war, the bulk of the 931 security forces who lost their lives came from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but all other security agencies also lost members.

To date, 850 IDF soldiers have lost their lives. In addition, 67 police and border police officers, six Shin Bet members, five firemen, three paramedics from Magen David Adom, and one member of the Prison Service were killed.

Among them were 56 women, and the victims came from every age group. 668 of them were under the age of thirty, including the soldiers serving their regular army service, as well as reservists.

42% of fallen IDF soldiers were reservists, comprising about 34% of all those killed, the INSS wrote.

167 of those killed were between the ages of thirty and forty, 62 were between forty and fifty, 28 were between the ages of fifty and sixty, and seven Israelis lost their lives while being above the age of sixty.

The fallen security personnel came from across the small country, from Kfar Giladi in the northern Galilee, which lost one of its residents, all the way to the southern city of Eilat, which lost six residents to the war.

The five cities that lost the most residents are Jerusalem (68 fallen), Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut (26), Tel Aviv-Yafo (25), Be’er Sheva (24), and Haifa (22).

Within the IDF, the unit that lost the most soldiers is the Golani Brigade. 109 of its soldiers died over the past year and a half of fighting, many of them in the first hours of the invasion on Oct. 7, as the brigade was stationed near Gaza at the time.

The IDF’s Border Protection Corps, including the female surveillance soldiers and mixed male and female light infantry battalions, lost 70 soldiers.

Then follow the regular infantry brigades of Givati, Nahal and Paratroopers, with 68, 63, and 46 fallen, respectively.

Throughout the war, a terror wave inspired by the Hamas massacre that began the fighting has killed many more civilians. Since Oct. 7, 934 civilians, Israelis and foreigners, were killed in terror attacks, the eldest at the age of 91 and the youngest less than a year old.

Many more details can be found on the website of the INSS’s special memorial project, which is dedicated to the memory of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Jonathan David Deitch and Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, who both fell in battle in the Gaza Strip in December 2023.

“We bow our heads and salute their memory and their comrades-in-arms, Israel’s heroes, who gave their lives for the security of the State of Israel.”