On the Eve of Israel’s Memorial Day, 170 More Names Were Added to the Roll of the Fallen

Ahead of Israel's Memorial Day for the Fallen, the Ministry of Defense and the National Insurance Institute released this afternoon (Thursday) the tally of those killed among security forces and in acts of terror, from 1860 to today. 

The number of Israel’s fallen service members now stands at 25,644. The number of civilians killed in terror attacks stands at 5,313.

According to the Defense Ministry’s figures, since last Memorial Day, 170 additional fallen have been added to the roll, and 54 disabled IDF veterans who died of their injuries were recognized over the past year as fallen. Notably, since October 7, 2023, 7,165 people have joined the circle of bereaved families. Today, 59,583 bereaved family members live in Israel, including 8,420 bereaved parents, 4,872 widows, and 14,430 orphans.

The Defense Ministry noted that, given the complex security reality, the Ministry and its Families and Commemoration Department are preparing to hold ceremonies under restrictions. Ceremonies in military cemeteries will be held subject to Home Front Command guidelines, which will be updated closer to the date. 

If holding ceremonies proves impossible, state memorial ceremonies will be pre-recorded and broadcast across media and digital platforms, to allow the public at large to take part and honor the memory of the fallen.

Aryeh Moalem, Deputy Director General and head of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department at the Defense Ministry, addressed the special preparations: "We are completing the preparations with a desire to find the right balance between the sanctity of Memorial Day and the sanctity of life. The memory of the fallen is the foundation of our unity, a national compass, and an eternal flame. Our obligation is to keep it alive and pass the legacy of sacrifice from generation to generation."

According to the National Insurance Institute: 5,313 civilians have been murdered in terror attacks since 1851, the year the Jewish community in the Land of Israel was established; 79 of them since last Memorial Day. Of these, 620 were before the War of Independence, 931 during the War of Independence, and 3,762 since the war’s end.

From the establishment of the state (5 Iyar 5708) to today, 4,587 civilians have been murdered, including 810 children under 18. Over the past year, from last Memorial Day to today, 79 civilians were murdered in terror attacks. Of them, 35 were murdered during ''Am KeLavi'' (June 2026) and 27 during ''Shaagat HaAri'' (March 2026).

Since the outbreak of the ''Swords of Iron'' war, the number of civilians murdered stands at 1,017. A total of 223 foreign civilians (workers and tourists) have been murdered in Israel from the establishment of the Jewish community to today, 12 of them since the previous Memorial Day.

Terror and hostility have left 14,815 bereaved family members being assisted through the National Insurance Institute, with 367 added to the circle of bereavement since last Memorial Day: 2,399 bereaved parents, 55 of them added since last Memorial Day; 1,088 widows and widowers (1,058 last Memorial Day); 4,932 orphans (including 473 minors), 142 added since last year; and 6,396 bereaved brothers and sisters (including 407 minors), 140 of them added since last Memorial Day.

As for disabilities, injuries, and rehabilitation, the number of civilian victims of hostile acts in Israel currently stands at 99,156 people - 51,171 women and 47,985 men. Of those injured in hostile acts, 49,113 are recognized as disabled to varying degrees.

It should be noted that the state memorial ceremony for victims of hostile acts will take place on Wednesday, 22.4.2026, at Mount Herzl at 13:00, at the plaza of the Memorial to the Victims of Hostile Acts, with the country’s leadership in attendance alongside the bereaved families.