Ahead of Memorial Day next Tuesday, the Defense Ministry and the National Insurance Institute on Thursday released updated figures on the number of fallen service members, civilian victims of attacks and bereaved families since Oct. 7.
According to the Defense Ministry, the total number of those who have fallen in Israel’s military campaigns since 1860 now stands at 25,644. Over the past year, 170 people were added to that number, along with 54 disabled veterans who died as a result of their disabilities and were recognized as fallen service members.
The military bereavement circle now includes 59,583 family members in Israel, the ministry said. That figure includes 8,420 bereaved parents, 4,872 widows, 14,430 orphans, 31,814 bereaved siblings, 12 fiancées and 35 guardians.
At the same time, National Insurance data underscored the scale of the toll on civilians. The number of civilian victims since the establishment of the Jewish community in the land in 1851 stands at 5,313. Since the establishment of the state, 4,587 civilians have been killed, including 810 children and teenagers.
Since the Oct. 7 attack and the start of the war, 1,017 civilians have been killed, the agency said. In the past year alone, 79 civilians were killed, many of them during the two operations against Iran.
National Insurance said 99,156 victims of attacks are currently registered in Israel and 14,815 bereaved family members are being treated by the agency, including 4,932 orphans.
The agency also released figures on financial assistance for bereaved families, saying that more than 1.5 billion shekels, or about $400 million, was paid out over the past three years.
As part of the response to victims of the Oct. 7 attack, grants totaling 599 million shekels, or about $160 million, were provided to 79,309 eligible recipients, including 27,595 minors. Of those recipients, 69,535 are residents of communities near Gaza. The assistance also included 728 people affected by the Nova music festival attack, among them 118 members of the security forces.
This year, because of the security situation, cemetery ceremonies will be held subject to Home Front Command guidelines. The Defense Ministry said it has prepared the “Netivei Zikaron” navigation app to help visitors locate graves, and it called on the public to light a virtual memorial candle on the Yizkor website.
The names of the fallen will be broadcast continuously on Channel 260 beginning at 8:45 p.m. on the eve of Memorial Day.