IDF Says 970 Soldiers Have Fallen in Operational Circumstances Since the War Began
The figure was part of the military's three year account of the war, released on the anniversary of the Hamas massacre, and matches the IDF's official listing of the war's fallen.
The IDF says 970 soldiers have fallen in operational circumstances since the war began on October 7, 2023. The figure was part of the military's account of three years of fighting and reform, released on Wednesday, October 7, as Israel marked the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre.
The IDF's official memorial listing of the war's fallen carries the same number. On Thursday, October 8, the page read: "970 war fallen whose names have been cleared for publication." The listing is the military's own public record of those killed in the war.
What the figure covers
According to the IDF, the 970 are soldiers who fell "in operational circumstances", the official category used in the Hebrew wording. It is not a total of every Israeli military death during the war from all causes, and it is not a toll for the fighting in Gaza alone.
The listing includes both reservists and soldiers in regular service. The material published so far does not break the total down by front or by type of service, and it does not set out the exact rule used to classify accidents and other incidents.
Seven in ten wounded back in service
Alongside the death toll, the IDF said that more than 70% of soldiers wounded during the war have returned to service. The figure was presented as part of the military's wider review of its activity since October 7 and of the reforms it has introduced over the past three years.
For an army that relies heavily on reservists, the return rate is one of the measures the military chose to highlight at the three year mark, alongside the cost in lives.
A war that began with a massacre
The war began with the October 7 attack, in which Hamas terrorists murdered about 1,200 people and abducted 251. The IDF count of its fallen runs from the start of the war, so it covers the fighting from that first morning onward. The figures were released as Israel marked the third anniversary of the attack.
The official listing names only those whose names have been cleared for publication. That makes the figure on the memorial page the reference number for Israelis following the cost of the war, and the one the military itself displays on its memorial site.
