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Palestinian casualties of war

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This is a list of casualties suffered by Palestinians in war.

Note: Article is not comprehensive. Some records of Palestinian casualties are under dispute. The criteria used for this article: Casualties inflicted by war or combat. Casualties considered to be "unnecessary deaths" not included. Graph only includes casualties of Palestinian Arabs and not other actors. Bold indicates major actors.

1920–1948

Conflicts prior to Israel's independence Actors involved Combatant deaths Civilian deaths Total deaths Combatant and/or Civilian wounded Total casualties
1920 Palestine riots British Empire British Empire, Arab rioters. Not applicable 4 4 23 31
Jaffa riots Jewish civilians

Arab civilians

unknown unknown 48 73 121
1929 Palestine riots British Empire, British Army

Palestine Police Force, Betar. Arab rioters.

116 rioters[1] unknown 116 Arabs
133 Jews 		232 Arabs
198 Jews 		679
1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine  United Kingdom

NDF (from 1937)

  • Arab "peace bands"

Jewish National Council

Arab Higher Committee (1936–October 1937)

  • Local rebel factions (fasa'il)
  • Volunteers from Arab world

Central Committee of National Jihad in Palestine (October 1937 – 1939)

  • Bureau of the Arab Revolt in Palestine (late 1938 – 1939)

Society for the Defense of Palestine

British and Jewish forces 562; Palestinian Arabs ca.5,000 5,000 15,550 of which,15,000 Arab Palestinians. 18,000–24,000+
1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine
400–600[2][better source needed] 200–300[3] At least 720[2][better source needed] 1,171 1,800

Total casualties for this period 20,631, including 6,092 fatalities.

1948–present

Conflicts Actors involved Combatant deaths Civilian deaths Total deaths Combatant and/or Civilian wounded Total casualties
1948 Palestine war, also known as the Nakba[4][5] Yishuv
(before 14 May 1948)
 Israel
(after 14 May 1948)
Before 26 May 1948:
After 26 May 1948:
Foreign volunteers:
Arab Higher Committee
(before 15 May 1948)
 Arab League
(after 15 May 1948)
 3,700 foreign Arab troops; 1,953 Palestinians died during battles. 11,047 Palestinians missing presumed dead though not known to have died in combat situations[10] 3,000-13 000 (The higher figure indicate missing and presumed death, though not known to have died in combat situation)[11][12] 3,000? c. 3,000?[4]
Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency[13][14][15][16]  Israel

Palestinian Fedayeen

Supported by:
 2,700–5,000 unknown 2,800–5,000+ 500 (at least) 3,200–5,000
Qibya massacre[17] Israel Defense Forces

Ariel Sharon

unknown 42 42 unknown 42
Battle of Karameh[18] Israel Israel
156 0 156 100 256
War of Attrition[19][better source needed]  Israel
100 (at least) unknown 100 unknown 100+
Black September[22][23] PLO Syria (until November 1970)Supported by:
 Jordan 		3,400 unknown 3,400 unknown 3,400
1973 Israeli raid in Lebanon  Israel

 PLO

100+ 0 100+ unknown 100+
Lebanese Civil War[24][25]

Army of Free Lebanon (until 1977)
SLA (from 1976)
 Israel (from 1978)

Tigers Militia (until 1980)

Lebanese National Movement (1975–1982)
Jammoul (1982–1990)

PLO (1975–1983)
ASALA

Hezbollah (1985–1990)
 Iran (from 1980, mainly IRGC and Army paramilitary units)

Islamic Unification Movement (from 1982)

Syria (1976, 1983–1991)
Amal Movement
PNSF
Marada Brigades (left LF in 1978; aligned with Syria)

Lebanese Armed Forces

UNIFIL (from 1978)
Multinational Force in Lebanon (1982–1984)

Arab Deterrent Force (1976–1982)[26]

List
 1,000's. Unknown 5,000+ 5,000 (at least). Unknown 4,000 (at least). Unknown 5,000–10,000+
1978 South Lebanon conflict  Israel
SLA

PLO

1,000–2,000 0 1,000–2,000 unknown, heavy 2,000+
1982 Lebanon War[27]
Others:
 unknown unknown 5,000–8,000[31]
15,000–20,000[32][33] 		30,000[32][33] 15,000-20,000[32][33]
War of the Camps[34][35] Palestine Liberation Organization PLO

Supported by:

Al-Mourabitoun
 Hezbollah
CAOL
SSNP-L (Anti-Syrian government faction)
PSP (1987)
LCP (1987)

Amal Movement

SSNP-L (Pro-Syrian government faction)
Palestine PNSF

Supported by:

Syria Syria

Lebanon Lebanese Army

2,000 killed by Amal, 3,000+ killed by other Palestinians unknown, heavy 5,000+ unknown, heavy 8,000+
First Intifada[36][37]  Israel
1,000 killed by Israel security forces, 1,000 killed by other Palestinians unknown 2,000 (at least) unknown, heavy 2,000+
Second Intifada[38][39]  Israel
2,000–3,500+, disputed 1,099–2,800 4,791 killed by Israeli security forces, 714 killed by other Palestinians 8,611 {unverified-Palestinian claims} 13,400+
Fatah–Hamas conflict[40]
248 98 (at least) 600 1,000 wounded 1,600
Gaza War (2008–2009)[53]
491–709, disputed 295–962 1,166–1,417 5,303 6,400–6,700
March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes[54]

Israel

Popular Resistance Committees
Palestinian Islamic Jihad

18 3 21 24 45
2012 Gaza War[55][56]  Israel
67–120 109 174–177 unknown
2014 Gaza War

 Israel

693 1617 2310 unknown
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis

Jewish Israeli protesters

Protesters in Israel and Palestine
Jordanian, Lebanese, and Syrian protesters (see international) 		275
Gaza war  Hamas
 Israel[c]
Israeli allies:
 35,562[72] 81,420[73]

Total casualties for this period 144,963, including 66,789 fatalities.

Timeline chart

Palestinians killed from 2008 to September 2023.[74]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades was Fatah's armed wing, and while still aligned with Fatah in terms of political ideology,[44] is now a member of the Palestinian Joint Operations Room and allied with Hamas.[45] The AAMB separated from Fatah after Mahmoud Abbas' 2007 decree banning all militias following the Battle of Gaza.[46] Nonetheless, it sometimes still presents itself as the party's armed wing, an association rejected by Fatah leadership.[47][48]
  2. ^ Besides Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, FDD's Long War Journal identified the following militant groups as having fought in the 2021 conflict: Jihad Jibril Brigades, Humat al-Aqsa, Jaysh al-Ummah, Katibat al-Sheikh al-Emireen, Mujahideen Brigades, Abdul al-Qadir al-Husseini Brigades, and two al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades splinter factions.[69]
  3. ^ See List of military aid to Israel during the Gaza war and American involvement

References

  1. ^ Great Britain, 1930: Report of the Commission on the disturbances of August 1929, Command paper 3530 (Shaw Commission report), p. 65.
  2. ^ a b "British Rule in Palestine".
  3. ^ Gilbert, Martin (2005). Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
  4. ^ a b Morris 2008, pp. 404–406.
  5. ^ Arab Israel War 1948–1949 Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Onwar.com.
  6. ^ Nisan, Mordechai (2015). Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-Expression (2d ed.). McFarland. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-7864-5133-3. This Jewish-Druze partnership was often referred to as a "covenant of blood," in recognition of the common military yoke carried by the two peoples for the security of the country.
  7. ^ "The Druze in Israel: Questions of Identity, Citizenship, and Patriotism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  8. ^ Palestine Post, "Israel's Bedouin Warriors", Gene Dison, August 12, 1948
  9. ^ AFP (24 April 2013). "Bedouin army trackers scale Israel social ladder". Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  10. ^ Henry Laurens, La Question de Palestine, Fayard, Paris 2007 vol.3 p.194.The total figure of those missing who are not known to have died in battle is given by 'Arif al-'Arif as 11,047, composed of 4,004 people whose names are unknown, but the place and dates of the circumstances are known:7,043 dead whose names are unknown, nor dates of death, but of whom the villages where they dwelt at the time are known.
  11. ^ "Armed Conflict Year Index". onwar.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  12. ^ Laurens 2007 p.194
  13. ^ Orna Almog (2003). Britain, Israel, and the United States, 1955–1958: Beyond Suez. Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 0-7146-5246-6.
  14. ^ Benny Morris (1993). Border Wars, 1949–1956: The Sinai-Suez Wars and the end of the Fedayeen. Oxford University Press. pp. 419–425. ISBN 0-19-829262-7.
  15. ^ Thomas G. Mitchell (2000). Native Vs. Settler: Ethnic Conflict in Israel/Palestine, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 133. ISBN 0-313-31357-1.
  16. ^ Benny Morris (1993) Israel's Border Wars, 1949–1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and the Countdown to the Suez War Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-829262-7 P 67
  17. ^ Benny Morris, Israel's Border Wars, 1949–1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation and the Countdown to the Suez War, Oxford University Press, 1993, pp. 258–9.
  18. ^ Pollack (2002), pp. 331–332
  19. ^ Israeli Elite Units since 1948, Sam Katz, Osprey Publishing 1988, p.31-32
  20. ^ Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 596. ISBN 9781851098422.
  21. ^ "The War: Lebanon and Syria". Dover.idf.il. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  22. ^ Bailey, p.59, The Making of a War, John Bulloch, p.67
  23. ^ Massad, Joseph Andoni. Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan. Page 342.
  24. ^ Tel El Zaatar 1976 'Tal el zaatar' ' Tel al zaatar '[usurped]. Liberty05.com.
  25. ^ Lebanon (Civil War 1975–1991). Globalsecurity.org.
  26. ^ Mays, Terry M. Historical Dictionary of Multinational Peacekeeping. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996, pp. 9–10
  27. ^ Osprey Men-At-Arms series, 1985
  28. ^ "In the Spotlight: PKK (A.k.a KADEK) Kurdish Worker's Party". Cdi.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Abdullah Öcalan en de ontwikkeling van de PKK". Xs4all.nl. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  30. ^ "a secret relationship". Niqash.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  31. ^ Gabriel, Richard, A, Operation Peace for Galilee, The Israeli-PLO War in Lebanon, New York: Hill & Wang. 1984, p. 164, 165, ISBN 0-8090-7454-0
  32. ^ a b c Fisk, Robert (2001). Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War. Oxford University Press. pp. 255–257. ISBN 978-0-19-280130-2.
  33. ^ a b c "The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon: the casualties". Race & Class. 24 (4): 340–3. 1983. doi:10.1177/030639688302400404. S2CID 220910633.
  34. ^ "WAR STATS REDIRECT". users.erols.com.
  35. ^ Lebanese Civil War 1985 – 1987[usurped]. Liberty05.com.
  36. ^ Collaborators, One Year Al-Aqsa Intifada, Fact Sheets And Figures Archived 6 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Phrmg.org.
  37. ^ Fatalities in the first Intifada | B'Tselem. Btselem.org.
  38. ^ ICT Middleastern Conflict Statistics Project Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. 212.150.54.123 (1 January 2005).
  39. ^ Fatalities | B'Tselem Archived 5 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Btselem.org.
  40. ^ "Over 600 Palestinians killed in internal clashes since 2006". Ynetnews. Ynet. 6 June 2007.
  41. ^ "Iran's Over $220M Support To Hamas Revealed In Times Report". Iran International. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  42. ^ Simmons, Keir (2 October 2024). "Hamas 'disappointed' by lack of support from many Middle Eastern countries, senior official says". NBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  43. ^ "G7 Warns Iran To End Support For Hamas, Hezbollah". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  44. ^ "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades | West Bank & Attacks | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  45. ^ "Hamas terrorist Ayman Nofal explains the workings of the Palestinian organizations' joint operations room in the Gaza Strip". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  46. ^ عودة, سامح (27 November 2023). "Al-Qassam is not alone. Learn about the most prominent resistance factions in Palestine ليست القسام وحدها.. تعرف على أبرز الفصائل المقاوِمة في فلسطين". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Al Jazeera Arabic. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Not only Hamas: eight factions at war with Israel in Gaza". Newsweek. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  48. ^ "With Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, four other armed Palestinian factions are fighting Israel in Gaza". The New Arab. 22 May 2024.
  49. ^ Rose, David (March 3, 2008). "The Gaza Bombshell". vanityfair.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018.
  50. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. ^ "MIDEAST: This 'Bombshell' Took a Year Falling - Inter Press Service". www.ipsnews.net. April 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  52. ^ Crooke, Alastair. "Blair's counter-insurgency "surge"". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018.
  53. ^ [1] Archived 1 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  54. ^ "New Israeli Airstrikes Kill 3 in Gaza". 12 March 2012.
  55. ^ Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the implementation of Human Rights Council resolutions S-9/1 and S-12/1, Addendum, 6 March 2013.
  56. ^ staff, T. O. I. "After eight days of fighting, ceasefire is put to the test". The Times of Israel.
  57. ^ "IDF believes Hamas, Islamic Jihad will honor cease-fire". The Jerusalem Post. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  58. ^ "PFLP says fighters will continue to strike Israel". Ma'an News Agency. 17 November 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  59. ^ "Occupied Quds City Targeted by Palestinian Missile". Fars News Agency. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
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  65. ^ "Armed wing linked to Mahmoud Abbas's faction says it shot rockets at Ashkelon, Sderot and elsewhere Wednesday night". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
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  67. ^ "Shin Bet aiding attempt to clamp down on Jewish-Arab 'terror' wracking cities". The Times of Israel. 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  68. ^ Maher, Marwan (13 May 2021). "كتائب الأقصى تعلن مشاركتها في ضرب إسرائيل بضرب 106 صاروخ وقذيفة". Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
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  74. ^ "Data on casualties". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory (OCHAoPt). United Nations. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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