How Many Civilians Were Killed in Israel’s 2026 War With Iran? 36
Israel’s National Insurance Institute counts 36 civilians killed in the 2026 Iran war and 35 in June 2025. The IDF gives no fallen count for either.
During Operation Roaring Lion, the 2026 war with Iran, 36 civilians were killed, on the count the National Insurance Institute published on 4 October 2026. Three of the 36 were foreign nationals. The National Insurance Institute counted 35 civilians killed in Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, a separate operation with a separate count. Both are civilian counts. The Israel Defense Forces, on its own published fallen-and-wounded page, gives no fallen figure for either operation.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Civilians killed in Operation Roaring Lion, of them 3 foreign nationals; security forces outside the count | National Insurance Institute | From 28 February 2026; release of 4 October 2026 |
| 35 | Civilians killed in Operation Rising Lion, of them 6 foreign nationals | National Insurance Institute | June 2025; release of 4 October 2026 |
| 1,029 | All civilians killed in hostile actions, excluding security forces and local response teams; both operations inside it | National Insurance Institute | 7 October 2023 to the release of 4 October 2026 |
| 1,461 | Soldiers wounded since Roaring Lion began, by most severe recorded condition; the IDF’s own count | Israel Defense Forces | Start of Roaring Lion to 6 July 2026 |
| 973 | Fallen whose names are cleared for publication, whole war, not split by operation; the IDF’s own count | Israel Defense Forces | 7 October 2023 to the page of 9 November 2026 |
The National Insurance Institute counts 36 civilians killed in Roaring Lion
The National Insurance Institute recorded 36 civilians killed and 2,787 people injured in Operation Roaring Lion. The Institute is the statutory body that recognises and compensates civilian victims of hostile action, and the 36 is its count of the victims it has recognised.
- It counts civilians only. Soldiers, police and other security personnel are outside it.
- It includes foreign nationals: 3 of the 36 killed and 5 of the 2,787 injured.
- It counts deaths within the operation, which was fought against Iran and against Hezbollah at the same time, and it does not separate them by the source of fire.
- Recognition as a hostile-action victim can cover a death on the way to a shelter as well as a direct hit.
- Injured means recognised as a hostile-action victim, including psychological injury. It is not a count of hospital admissions.
Operation Rising Lion in June 2025 killed 35 civilians
The National Insurance Institute counted 35 civilians killed in Operation Rising Lion, the June 2025 operation against Iran, of whom 6 were foreign nationals. The Institute reports Rising Lion and Roaring Lion as two separate operations, each on its own line.
| Measure | Rising Lion, June 2025 | Roaring Lion, from 28 February 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Civilians killed | 35 | 36 |
| Of them, foreign nationals | 6 | 3 |
| People injured | 2,962 | 2,787 |
| Of them, foreign nationals | 21 | 5 |
Source: National Insurance Institute, release of 4 October 2026.
The release prints no combined figure for the two operations. Added together they make 71, which is this site’s sum of two separate counts and not a figure the Institute publishes.
The Institute’s count rose from 27 in April 2026 to 36
The National Insurance Institute published a Roaring Lion count of 27 civilians killed in its Memorial Day release of 16 April 2026, and 36 in its release of 4 October 2026. The Rising Lion count is 35 in both. The Institute counts recognised victims, so each figure belongs to the date of the release that carries it.
Each release also carries a wider total, and both operations sit inside it:
- 16 April 2026: 79 civilians killed in the year from Memorial Day 2025. This is a year total, not the sum of the two operation counts.
- 4 October 2026: 1,029 civilians killed since 7 October 2023, of them 778 on 7 October itself and 251 during the war since. Both operations are inside the 251.
The IDF counts 1,461 wounded since Roaring Lion began
The Israel Defense Forces recorded 1,461 soldiers wounded since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, as of 6 July 2026, on its own count. Each soldier is classed by the most severe condition recorded.
| Severity | Wounded |
|---|---|
| Light | 1,207 |
| Moderate | 165 |
| Severe | 89 |
| Total | 1,461 |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, fallen-and-wounded page, the IDF’s own count, as of 6 July 2026.
The figure counts wounded, not deaths, and its date is 6 July 2026 rather than the page date of 9 November 2026. It is not added to the National Insurance Institute’s 2,787 injured: the Institute counts recognised civilian victims, including psychological injury, while the IDF counts its own soldiers by recorded severity.
The IDF publishes no fallen count for Roaring Lion
The Israel Defense Forces publishes no fallen figure for Operation Roaring Lion or Operation Rising Lion on its fallen-and-wounded page, dated 9 November 2026. The page’s fallen count is the IDF’s own, and covers the whole war: 973 soldiers whose names are cleared for publication since 7 October 2023.
- 973 fallen since 7 October 2023, limited to names cleared for publication.
- 472 of them since the Gaza ground manoeuvre began on 27 October 2023.
- Deaths in friendly fire and weapons accidents are inside the 973, and the page lists them in its operational-accident tables.
- No line for Roaring Lion, and no line for Rising Lion.
The National Insurance Institute’s civilian counts exclude security forces. Neither body in this record publishes a soldier death count for either Iran operation, or a combined civilian and military total for either one.
Which figures may not be added together?
No count here is added to another. The National Insurance Institute counts recognised civilian victims. The Israel Defense Forces counts its own soldiers on its own count, with the fallen limited to names cleared for publication and the wounded classed by most severe recorded condition.
- 35 and 36 belong to two operations. 71 is this site’s sum, not an Institute figure.
- The 79 and the 1,029 already contain both operations and are not added to them.
- The IDF’s 973 covers the whole war since 7 October 2023 and is not divided by operation.
- The Institute’s 2,787 injured and the IDF’s 1,461 wounded count different people on different definitions.
Questions readers ask
How many soldiers were killed in Operation Roaring Lion?
The Israel Defense Forces publishes no fallen figure for the operation. Its own count, 973 fallen whose names are cleared for publication, covers the whole war since 7 October 2023.
Were all 36 people killed in Roaring Lion Israelis?
The National Insurance Institute counts 36 civilians, of whom 3 were foreign nationals. The Institute itemises foreign nationals inside its civilian count.
Were the 36 all killed by Iranian missiles?
The National Insurance Institute counts deaths within the operation, which was fought against Iran and Hezbollah at the same time. It does not separate the deaths by the source of fire.
How many people were injured in the 2026 war with Iran?
The National Insurance Institute recorded 2,787 people injured in Roaring Lion, of them 5 foreign nationals. The count covers recognised hostile-action victims, including psychological injury.
How many people were injured in June 2025?
The National Insurance Institute recorded 2,962 people injured in Operation Rising Lion, of them 21 foreign nationals.
Why do earlier reports give a lower civilian count for 2026?
The National Insurance Institute published 27 civilians killed in Roaring Lion on 16 April 2026 and 36 on 4 October 2026. Each figure belongs to the date of its release.
How many civilians were killed across both Iran operations?
The National Insurance Institute reports the operations separately, at 35 and 36. Their sum, 71, is this site’s arithmetic, not an Institute figure.
How many Israeli civilians have been killed since 7 October 2023?
The National Insurance Institute counts 1,029 civilians killed in hostile actions, excluding security forces and local response teams. 88 of them were foreign nationals.
When did Operation Roaring Lion begin?
The National Insurance Institute records Operation Roaring Lion as running from 28 February 2026. Rising Lion was the June 2025 operation.
How many soldiers were severely wounded in Roaring Lion?
The Israel Defense Forces recorded 89 soldiers severely wounded since the operation began, as of 6 July 2026, on its own count by most severe recorded condition.
Does the IDF’s 973 include accidents?
The Israel Defense Forces counts deaths in friendly fire and weapons accidents inside its own total of 973. The page lists them in separate operational-accident tables.
Does the Institute count soldiers or police?
The National Insurance Institute states that its civilian total excludes security forces and local response teams. Soldiers and police killed in the same operations are outside its figures.
What are the operations called in Hebrew?
The National Insurance Institute published the figures under the Hebrew names Am KeLavi for Rising Lion and Sha’agat HaAri for Roaring Lion.
Sources
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. חללי ופצועי צה”ל במלחמה (IDF fallen and wounded in the war). IDF Spokesperson’s unit, war-diary page on idf.il, page dated 9 November 2026. https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%9C%D7%99-%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%99-%D7%A6%D7%94-%D7%9C-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/. Official or primary record, the IDF’s own count.
- National Insurance Institute, 2026. נתוני הביטוח הלאומי לציון יום השנה השלישי לטבח השבעה באוקטובר ותחילת המלחמה (Data marking the third anniversary of the 7 October massacre and the start of the war). Press release, 4 October 2026, with the Memorial Day release of 16 April 2026. https://www.btl.gov.il/About/newspapers/Pages/Oct7-info2026.aspx and https://www.btl.gov.il/About/newspapers/Pages/MemorialDay-2026-notice.aspx. Official or primary record.
