Israel counted its war dead and the total was appalling for a nation of little more than three million souls — 13,968 soldiers, men and women, lost in four wars and a war of attrition since the Jewish State was founded 31 years ago. Israel’s War for Independence in 1948 claimed 5810 soldiers. The brief Sinai campaign of 1956 added another 421 dead. In the 10 years from 1957 – 1967, 930 more Israeli soldiers were killed. The death toll in the Six-Day War was 877 soldiers but another 1010 lost their lives in the war of attrition with Egypt from June 15, 1967 to Dec. 31, 1969; 412 were killed in 1970, 200 in 1971 and 189 in 1972. In 1973, before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, an additional 101 soldiers died. In the war itself, 4018 Israeli soldiers were killed in action.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
