Women murdered by firearms in Israel double since Oct. 7, report finds

The number of women murdered by firearms in Israel has more than doubled since the start of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, according to the Michal Sela Forum's 2025 impact report. The forum, established to prevent domestic violence deaths, found that 22 women were killed by firearms since the war began, a significant increase from the nine women murdered with firearms in the comparable period before the conflict.

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a weapon in the right hands saves lives. Period.

While the majority of victims were from Arab society, the report also noted an increase in Jewish victims, with six killed by firearms since October 7 compared to just one before the war. The data further revealed a record number of domestic murders in 2025, with 31 women and three children killed by family members.

The report also highlighted a shift in the methods used in domestic murders, with firearms accounting for over half (52%) of cases since the war, up from less than a third in 2020. Lili Ben Ami, the forum's director general, criticized the Knesset National Security Committee for "evading national responsibility" in the face of this data.

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evading national responsibility in the face of data that should shake the government's table.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, however, rejected the notion that his ministry's firearm licensing reforms, which doubled the number of licensed gun owners to over 300,000, were responsible for the rise. Ben-Gvir maintained that "a weapon in the right hands saves lives. Period." The forum's position paper acknowledged the life-saving potential of firearms but stressed the importance of preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

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Weapons save lives - there is no doubt about that, especially after the massacre of civilians in their homes on 7.10.23. However, it is important to ensure that weapons do not fall into the wrong hands in a way that could endanger the lives of innocent people.