Palestinian casualties of war

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, Arab rioters.	Not applicable	4	4	23	31
Jaffa riots	Jewish civilians Arab civilians	unknown	unknown	48	73	121
1929 Palestine riots	, 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  British Army Palestine Police Force Jewish Settlement Police Jewish Supernumerary Police Special Night Squads NDF (from 1937) Arab "peace bands" Jewish National Council Haganah Fosh Peulot Meyuhadot Irgun 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	Jewish National Council Haganah Palmach Irgun Lehi Foreign volunteers Allied Bedouin tribes Arab Higher Committee Army of the Holy War Arab Liberation Army  Jordan Arab Legion  United Kingdom 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: Haganah Palmach Hish Corps HIM Corps Irgun Lehi Druze militants[6][7] Allied Bedouin tribes[8][9] After 26 May 1948: Israel Defense Forces Sword Battalion Foreign volunteers: Mahal Arab Higher Committee (before 15 May 1948) Arab League (after 15 May 1948) Arab Liberation Army Holy War Army Al-Najjada Egypt All-Palestine Protectorate (after 22 Sep 1948) Transjordan Syria Iraq Lebanon Saudi Arabia  Yemen  United Kingdom Mandatory Palestine (before 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: All-Palestine Protectorate Kingdom of Egypt (until 1953) Republic of Egypt (from 1953) Syria Jordan	2,700–5,000	unknown	2,800–5,000+	500 (at least)	3,200–5,000
Qibya massacre[17]	Israel Defense Forces Unit 101 Ariel Sharon	unknown	42	42	unknown	42
Battle of Karameh[18]	Israel Jordan Palestine Liberation Organization Fatah PLA	156	0	156	100	256
War of Attrition[19][better source needed]	Israel  Egypt  Soviet Union Kuwait[20] PLO  Jordan  Syria[21]  Cuba	100 (at least)	unknown	100	unknown	100+
Black September[22][23]	PLO Fatah Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Syria (until November 1970) Syrian Armed Forces Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) Supported by: Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (OIPFG) People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) Jordan Jordanian Armed Forces	3,400	unknown	3,400	unknown	3,400
1973 Israeli raid in Lebanon	Israel PLO PFLP	100+	0	100+	unknown	100+
Lebanese Civil War[24][25]	Lebanese Front Kataeb Party Lebanese Forces Marada Brigades (until 1978) Guardians of the Cedars Al-Tanzim Lebanese Youth Movement (MKG) Tyous Team of Commandos Zahliote Group Shuraya Party Vanguard of the Maani Army (MDJ) (Other minor organizations) Army of Free Lebanon (until 1977) SLA (from 1976) Israel (from 1978) Tigers Militia (until 1980) Lebanese National Movement (1975–1982) Jammoul (1982–1990) Al-Mourabitoun Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon (SSNP) Communist Action Organization in Lebanon (OCAL) Lebanese Movement in Support of Fatah (LMSF) Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region Revolutionary Communist Group Sixth of February Movement Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party (SALVP) Popular Nasserist Organization (PNO) Lebanese Arab Army (LAA) Other minor organizations 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) United States UK France Italy Arab Deterrent Force (1976–1982)[26] List Saudi Arabia (1976–1979) Sudan (1976–1979) UAE (1976–1979) Libya (1976 only) South Yemen (1976–1977)	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]	Israel Lebanese Forces South Lebanon Army PLO Syria Others: Lebanese National Resistance Front Al-Mourabitoun PKK[28][29][30]	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]	PLO Fatah DFLP Palestinian Liberation Front Supported by: Al-Mourabitoun Hezbollah CAOL SSNP-L (Anti-Syrian government faction) PSP (1987) LCP (1987) Amal Movement Lebanese Resistance Regiments SSNP-L (Pro-Syrian government faction) PNSF PFLP-GC Fatah al-Intifada As-Sa'iqa Supported by: Syria Syrian Army Lebanese Army 6th Infantry Brigade 8th Infantry Brigade	2,000 killed by Amal, 3,000+ killed by other Palestinians	unknown, heavy	5,000+	unknown, heavy	8,000+
First Intifada[36][37]	Israel Al-Qiyada al-Muwhhada Fatah Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Palestinian Communist Party Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad	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 Palestinian Authority PLO Fatah Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Resistance Committees	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]	Hamas Gaza Strip (after June 2007) Supported by: Iran[41][42][43] Fatah Palestinian Authority  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (until 2007)[a] Supported by: United States[49][50][51] (alleged) United Kingdom[52] (covert)	248	98 (at least)	600	1,000 wounded	1,600
Gaza War (2008–2009)[53]	Israel Israel Defense Forces Israel Security Agency Gaza Strip Hamas Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine Al-Quds Brigades  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Popular Resistance Committees	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 Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad[57] Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine[58] Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Popular Resistance Committees[59]  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades[60] Jaysh al-Ummah[61]	67–120	109	174–177	unknown
2014 Gaza War	Israel Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine[62] Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine[63] Popular Resistance Committees[63] Abdullah Azzam Brigades[64] Jaysh al-Ummah[61]  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades[65]	693	1617	2310	unknown
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis	Israel  Israel Defense Forces  Israeli Air Force Israel Police Israel Border Police Shin Bet[66][67] Jewish Israeli protesters Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades[68] Smaller militant groups[b] Protesters in Israel and Palestine Arab Israeli protesters Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and Jerusalem Jordanian, Lebanese, and Syrian protesters (see international)			275
Gaza war	Hamas Palestinian allies:  Palestinian Islamic Jihad  Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine  Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Palestinian Mujahideen Movement  Israel[c] Israeli allies: Popular Forces (from May 2024)[70][71]			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]

Gallery

• 
  Palestinians returning to Qibya shortly after the Qibya massacre.
• 
  An Arab autobus after being attacked by Irgun during the 1948 Israeli–Arab War.
• 
  Ruins of Lydda after the Israel Defense Forces conquered it in July 1948.
• 
  Destroyed buildings during the Gaza War (2008–2009).
• 
  An Israeli armoured bulldozer used in the Battle of Jenin (2002).
• 
  Destroyed and damaged buildings in Gaza City.

See also

• History portal
• Palestine portal
• Politics portal

• Casualties of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip
• Zionist political violence
• Timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2002
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2003
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2004
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2005
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2006
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2007
  • Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2008
  • List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2011
• Israeli casualties of war
• Casualties of the Gaza war

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