Israel says 151 soldiers lost their lives in 2025, 88 falling in military operations
The figures represent the lowest annual death toll since the war with Hamas began in 2023 and are less than half the number recorded in 2024.
The IDF revealed that 151 soldiers lost their lives in 2025, with 88 of them falling during military operations, the military revealed on Tuesday.
The figures represent the lowest annual death toll since the war with Hamas began in 2023 and are less than half the number recorded in 2024.
The total combat-related death toll is 91 when considering that three soldiers were killed during terror attacks, according to the IDF.
The report also noted that 15 soldiers lost their lives due to disease, while another 24 were killed in accident-related incidents (none of those happened during basic training).
Rows of graves on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. (credit: Jay Garfinkel)
IDF addresses suicide rates among soldiers
Suicide was also an issue this year in the military, with the IDF revealing that 21 soldiers took their own lives during the last year.
This reflects the same rates as last year and remains among the highest in the army over the past 10 years.
In order to address this issue, the IDF revealed that it will develop tools and mechanisms that could help commanders prevent and deal with suicidal incidents.
Among these mechanisms, the IDF deployed a network of professionals across the combat sectors, including approximately 1,000 mental health specialists, both regular and reservists.
This comes alongside a new directive from the IDF and the Defense Ministry that will recognize civilian suicides as similar to fallen soldiers if the individual killed themselves within two years of their service during the 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas War and if certain criteria apply.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, citing the unique nature, intensity, and length of the recent war. For example, there has been a spike in reservists committing suicide months after they undertook a traumatic service period in Gaza or some other front.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
