General information
Part of Conflict: n/a
First Battle Related Death: 1989-01-16
Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1989-05-20
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: The Government of Israel first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1989, when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in May of that year when government attacks on civilians had resulted in more than 25 deaths.
Conflict issues
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1989
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 66 |
| Best | 62 |
| Low | 62 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1990
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 24 |
| Best | 20 |
| Low | 20 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1991
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 16 |
| Best | 16 |
| Low | 16 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1992
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 5 |
| Best | 5 |
| Low | 5 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1993
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 5 |
| Best | 4 |
| Low | 4 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1994
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1995
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1996
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 105 |
| Best | 102 |
| Low | 102 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1997
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1998
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1999
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2000
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2001
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 30 |
| Best | 10 |
| Low | 9 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2002
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 35 |
| Best | 9 |
| Low | 9 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2003
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 14 |
| Best | 13 |
| Low | 13 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2004
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 75 |
| Best | 31 |
| Low | 31 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2005
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 39 |
| Best | 27 |
| Low | 26 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2006
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 37 |
| Best | 24 |
| Low | 20 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2007
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 11 |
| Best | 5 |
| Low | 5 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2008
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2009
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 4 |
| Best | 4 |
| Low | 4 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2010
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2011
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2012
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2013
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2014
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 2 |
| Best | 2 |
| Low | 2 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2015
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2016
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 4 |
| Best | 2 |
| Low | 2 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2017
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 2 |
| Best | 2 |
| Low | 2 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2018
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 9 |
| Best | 8 |
| Low | 7 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2019
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 5 |
| Best | 3 |
| Low | 3 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2020
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 3 |
| Best | 3 |
| Low | 3 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2021
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 7 |
| Best | 7 |
| Low | 7 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2022
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 3 |
| Best | 3 |
| Low | 3 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2023
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 51 |
| Best | 46 |
| Low | 44 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2024
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 54 |
| Best | 53 |
| Low | 53 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2025
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 93 |
| Best | 91 |
| Low | 89 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Israel): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
Dyad Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1989 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of civilians killed in one-sided violence during 1989. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: Following on months of disturbances in early 1989 one-sided deaths reached the 25 deaths threshold on 16 May. Large protests against the Israeli occupation lasted for four days, and allegedly led to the deaths of up to 16 Palestinians over the four-day period. 1989 marks the first year of recorded one-sided activity by the government of Israel in the UCDP database.
The one-sided violence during this year was primarily related to disturbances and protests against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the government’s moves to curb such dissent. The vast majority of those killed were shot to death by Israeli security forces.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1990 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1991 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1992 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1993 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1994 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1995 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1996 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: A far greater number than 102 civilians were killed during the Israeli ‘Operation Grapes of Wrath’, but these deaths occurred in strikes on Hezbollah positions (being placed close to or inside civilian locations), or under unclear circumstances that did not warrant their inclusion in the one-sided category.
Comment on Active: Israel is included as a one-sided actor in 1996 due to the deaths of over 100 civilians in an attack on a UN-camp at Qana, Lebanon, which housed hundreds of refugees fleeing the Israeli ‘Operation Grapes of Wrath’. That operation was an Israeli air strike and artillery blitz aimed at ending Hezbollah aggression on the occupied ‘security zone’ in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
In the attack on Qana several Israeli artillery shells fell on the UN peacekeeper camp and killed 102 Lebanese civilians. Israel vehemently denied and denies any intentional attack, but investigations by the UN and Amnesty International have concluded that the attack was most likely intentional and not caused by human error or technical failures.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1997 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1998 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1999 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2000 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2001 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of unarmed civilians killed in one-sided violence during 2001, as for nearly all years. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: Israel became active as a one-sided actor again in 2001 due to a rise in Israeli military activity during the year in response to the start of the Second Intifada in 2000. The Second Intifada was in turn a response to the failed Camp David peace talks in the year 2000.
The upsurge in clashes between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces inevitably led to the deaths of many unarmed civilians due to the tense situations that prevailed throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the crossing-points between Israeli and Palestinian territories. An increase in the number of check points, as well as the increasing difficulties for Palestinians to cross over into Israel for work or other reasons created conditions conducive to violence, according to most analysts.
The majority of civilians were killed travelling on roads near settlements or into Israel, at crossing-points and checkpoints or in Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2002 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of unarmed civilians killed in one-sided violence during 2002, as for nearly all years. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: Activity:
The Palestinian Second Intifada intensified in 2002, with suicide bombings committed by Palestinians reaching a peak. Subsequently the Israeli government, led by Ariel Sharon who was elected to office in 2001, increased the Israel Defence Forces presence in the occupied territories and launched large-scale incursions into Palestinian self-rule territory in a spiral of retaliatory action. This massive military presence, alongside already existing harsh security measures at checkpoints and crossing-points, inevitably led to the deaths of many unarmed Palestinian civilians.
Several Palestinians were killed when breaking curfews set by the Israeli military, and rioting and protests also continued throughout the year, leaving a number of civilians dead from Israeli suppression of civil disturbances. Incidents at checkpoints and crossing-points were also common.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2003 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of unarmed civilians killed in one-sided violence during 2003, as for nearly all years. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: The Second Intifada continued to rage in 2003. Harsh Israeli security measures in the occupied territories, and at the entry points into Israel, subsequently continued to reap civilian casualties in the Palestinian ranks. Notable incidents of violence against civilians occurred at checkpoints and crossing-points, when civilians broke curfews imposed by Israel, or when civilians strayed to close to Israeli settlement or closed military areas. Incursions into Palestinian territory also caused casualties.
A ‘hudna’, or ceasefire, by militant Palestinian groups in late June served to improve the situation for Palestinian civilians, and there is a marked decrease in civilian casualties throughout July and August. The ceasefire however failed in late August and violence against civilians returned from September through December.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2004 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of unarmed civilians killed in one-sided violence during 2004, as for nearly all years. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: The Second Intifada continued into 2004, but was slowly moving towards a halt, with lower levels of fighting than in previous years of the uprising. Israeli security measures continued to reap casualties when Palestinian civilians were shot for breaking curfews, straying to close to Israeli army positions and at checkpoints and crossing-points into Israel. Many were also killed by gunfire during demonstrations. The bulk of civilian casualties however came about during Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the hunt for militants.
May was a particularly bloody month for Palestinian civilians, due to a major incursion into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah following on a militant attack against Israel Defence Forces that killed 13 soldiers.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2005 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is very difficult to establish the exact number of unarmed civilians killed in one-sided violence during 2005, as for nearly all years. It is at times hard to distinguish between those civilians killed in battle-related violence and one-sided violence due to conflicting reports of events and the intermingling of gunmen and civilians. It is sometimes also hard to discern the exact targets of Israeli security forces attacks, blurring the lines between battle-related and one-sided deaths.
Comment on Active: The year 2005 is sometimes viewed as the last year of the Second Intifada, because of the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire signed that year between Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Ariel Sharon. After the ceasefire was signed in February there is a marked decrease in one-sided violence for a few months, until one-sided violence returns from roughly September and onwards. Israel also withdrew from the Gaza Strip (removing most soldiers and all of the Israeli settlements) in June-September of 2005, decreasing the number of possible points of friction. These factors together served to decrease the number of Palestinians killed in one-sided violence relative to the other years of the Second Intifada.
The Israeli army was nevertheless active as a one-sided actor throughout 2005, mainly through shooting incidents at crossing-points, Palestinians venturing to close to army outposts or Israeli settlements, or during incursions into Palestinian villages and cities.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2006 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: Note that the figures given above in no way represent the number of unarmed civilians killed by Israeli troops during 2006. The attacks on the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon led to hundreds of civilian casualties, but the overwhelming majority of these deaths are attributed to the battle-related deaths category.
This has been done, especially in Lebanon, since it is very complicated to separate Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets from strikes directly targeting civilians. Some attacks that have killed civilians have therefore been coded as battle-related deaths, since the exact circumstances are unclear. Also, both Palestinian insurgents and the Hezbollah commonly attack Israel or Israeli troops from urban settings, meaning that Israeli retaliation often kills civilians. Such retaliation, unless circumstances are very clear, is usually coded as battle-related attacks.
Especially in the case of southern Lebanon it has the coding has been complicated in this manner.
Comment on Active: In 2006 Israel once again made large-scale incursions into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, this time to knock out Palestinian Qassam rocket firing squads, arrest militant activists and to attempt to rescue an Israeli soldier that had been kidnapped by Palestinian militants during the summer. Hamas had swept to victory in the Palestinian elections, leading to a complete severing of ties between the PNA and the Israeli government. During such operations, and also when guarding the barrier that separates the Gaza Strip from Israel proper, several Palestinian civilians were shot to death.
The conflict with Hezbollah also reignited, with the Israeli army launching widespread air, artillery and infantry strikes into Lebanon. The vast majority of these attacks took place in southern Lebanon, but Israeli aircraft also reached as far north as Tripoli. The Israeli army claimed to be attacking Hezbollah guerillas who intermingled with the civilian population, and also that they were striking infrastructure that was vital to Hezbollah supply routes. It has however been possible, due to investigations, to code several instances where Israel struck at an unarmed civilians, especially when conducting airstrikes.
It is important to note though that the vast majority of civilians killed during these conflicts are attributed to the battle-related deaths category due to Israeli targeting of militants that are intermingled with civilians and civilian buildings.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2007 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2008 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2009 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2010 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2011 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2012 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2013 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2014 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2015 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2016 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2017 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2018 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2019 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2020 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2021 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2022 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2023 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Israel’s military response in Gaza has involved multiple incidents of one-sided violence, making Government of Israel an active actor in one-sided violence in 2023. While majority of civilian deaths can be attributed to the broader context of state-based conflict, there have been documented cases where Israeli forces engaged in direct and deliberate attacks against Palestinian civilians, constituting clear instances of one-sided violence.
Terminated: NO
2024 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: In 2024, the conflict between the Government of Israel and Palestinian armed groups continued and throughout this period, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have included multiple incidents of one-sided violence with similar intensity as the previous year, making the Government of Israel an active perpetrator of one-sided violence for two consecutive years.
Terminated: NO
2025 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: In 2025, the conflict between the Government of Israel and Palestinian armed groups continued and throughout this period, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have included multiple incidents of one-sided violence with similar intensity as the previous year, making the Government of Israel an active perpetrator of one-sided violence for three consecutive years.
Terminated: NO
