Israel suffers heavy losses since Hamas' Oct 7 retaliatory attack
- By Web Desk -
- Oct 07, 2025
Tel Aviv: Israel’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday released updated figures detailing the toll on its security forces since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, in retaliation against the decades of Israeli occupation and blockade of Palestinian territories.
The October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis. Israel launched a massive military campaign in Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, left the majority of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents homeless, and caused widespread starvation amid relentless bombardment.
Over the past two years, Israel has faced significant human and financial losses. The Defense Ministry reported that 1,152 members of its security forces have been killed since the beginning of the war, according to the Times of Israel. This number includes personnel from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Police, Shin Bet (internal security), the prison service, and members of local security squads operating in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank.
The data shows that around 42% of the killed soldiers were under the age of 21, most of them serving their mandatory military service. Additionally, 141 of the soldiers were over the age of 40.
Over 200 of the killed were buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, and in total, funerals have been conducted in 264 cemeteries and military plots across Israel, with 24 plots expanded and new military cemeteries established.
Eight soldiers were buried abroad, with Defense Ministry officials accompanying the bodies and families.
Read More: Israel marks October 7 anniversary as talks held to end Gaza war
The ministry’s department for the families of killed soldiers, commemoration and heritage has implemented a $18 million reform of family care and support services.
“The State of Israel bears a heavy price,” head of the department for the families of killed soldiers, commemoration and heritage Aryeh Moalem said.