ByTZVI JASPER
Updated:

Since the start of Israel's war against Hamas, 412 fallen IDF soldiers left behind a bereaved partner or significant other, the organization "A Partner Left Behind" (GFIDF) revealed on Wednesday, the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre.

From the establishment of the organization in 1998 until October 7, only around 500 bereaved partners of killed soldiers had been recorded.

Over a quarter of the soldiers in question, 118, were killed on October 7, 2023. Another 23 bereaved partners faced the death of their significant others only in the last year.

While the oldest recorded bereaved partner was 60 years old, only 4% were over the age of 32. The youngest bereaved partner was 16, with over half (57%) being 21 or younger.

Family member visit the grave of a fallen soldier while Israeli soldiers place Israeli flags on graves of Israeli soldiers during the flag laying ceremony in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on April 28, 2025, a few days before the Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers.
Family member visit the grave of a fallen soldier while Israeli soldiers place Israeli flags on graves of Israeli soldiers during the flag laying ceremony in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on April 28, 2025, a few days before the Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Bereaved partners lose their envisioned future

"Bereaved partners have lost not only the person they loved but also the future they had envisioned together," GFIDF CEO Attorney Adi Alon Sheinberg stated.

"Because they had not yet married, their place within the circle of bereavement is often not fully acknowledged - a fact that only intensifies the difficulty of coping with the loss," she added.

Only 8% of fallen IDF soldiers left behind a bereaved significant other, the organization reported.

"The pain remains; at the organization, we support bereaved partners by providing a therapeutic safety net and a warm community, enabling them to return to a full life - living alongside their grief rather than in its shadow," Sheinberg said.