Israel

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Last updated: 12 July 2016

Casualties

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2015

15 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties

Casualties in 2015

1 (2014: 0)

2015 casualties by outcome

1 injured (2014: 0)

2015 casualties by item type

1 antipersonnel mine (2014: 0)

 

One new casualty was reported in the State of Israel in 2015, when a female soldier was injured by a landmine in the Golan Heights.[1]

No new mine/ERW casualties were identified in Israel in 2014. One explosive incident in the Golan Heights was reported in the media as injuring four Israeli soldiers;[2] however, the Monitor was not able to confirm the cause of the explosion.

In 2013, the Monitor identified three mine/ERW casualties. One soldier was killed in an accident during in a demining training course in the Golan Heights[3] and one civilian was injured when he stepped on a mine in an abandoned building in the Jordan Valley.[4] In March of the same year, a teenager was badly injured while tampering with by unexploded ordnance at a home in Safed.[5]

From 1999 to the end of 2015, the Monitor recorded 15 mine/ERW casualties in Israel.[6]

Cluster munition strikes in 2006 caused 13 casualties in Israel.[7] No further casualties from cluster munition remnants have been identified.

Victim Assistance

The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Israel is not known. “Victims of hostile activities,” including mine survivors, are entitled to benefits, rehabilitation, and grants under the Benefits for Victims of Hostilities Law of 1970.[8] The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, including victims of mines/ERW.[9]

Numerous government bodies were responsible for providing assistance to persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services was responsible for overseeing most disability services. The Ministry of Health provided mental health and rehabilitation services, and the Ministry of Education provided special education services to persons with disabilities.[10]

In some cases, the law gave priority to persons with disabilities, particularly in regards to access to public facilities. The government also signed an Encouragement of Employment of Persons with Disabilities order, requiring an increase in employment of persons with disabilities in the workforce.[11]

Lack of accessibility and societal discrimination in multiple areas, including employment, transportation, education, and housing (in regards to access to community-based independent living facilities), were persistent challenges for persons with disabilities.[12]

Israel ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 28 September 2012.



[1]IDF officer loses foot in landmine explosion in Golan Heights,” The Jerusalem Post, 2 April 2015.

[4]Hiker loses foot after stepping on mine in Jordan Valley,” Times of Israel, 30 October 2013.

[5]Teen badly injured as old munition explodes,Times of Israel, 14 March 2013.

[6] See previous Monitor country profiles for Israel on the Monitor website.

[7] Handicap International, Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels, May 2007), p. 115.

[8] National Insurance Institute of Israel, “Benefits for Victims of Hostilities,” undated.

[9] United States Department of State, “2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Israel and The Occupied Territories,” Washington, DC, 13 April 2016.

[10] See previous Monitor country profiles for Israel on the Monitor website.

[11] Department of State, “2015 Country Reports: Israel and The Occupied Territories,” 13 April 2016.

[12] Ibid.