From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 28, 2023
501 Israeli soldiers have been killed in war against Hamas starting Oct. 7 — IDF
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
More than 500 Israeli soldiers, officers, and reservists have been killed in the ongoing war against Hamas which began on October 7, the IDF says.
The number of slain troops stands at 501, with the majority of them being killed during Hamas’s terror onslaught on southern Israel on October 7.
On October 7, at least 274 soldiers and 38 local security officers (who are civilians but counted in the IDF’s list) were killed by Hamas terrorists.
During the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, 167 IDF soldiers have been killed so far.
Nine soldiers have also been killed in attacks claimed by the Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups on the border with Lebanon since the fighting started.
Two soldiers were killed in West Bank terror attacks.
The military’s list of 501 slain troops also includes a soldier killed by friendly fire in the West Bank, a soldier killed due to malfunctioning ammunition on the Lebanon border, two soldiers killed in a tank accident in northern Israel, and a number of other deadly incidents amid the war but not directly related to the fighting.
The IDF’s list does not include 57 police officers killed during the October 7 attack, as well as an officer killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem, and another officer killed during clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
