TEHRAN — An investigation by the Hebrew department of Tasnim News Agency has revealed that the number of Israeli fatalities in the ongoing war with Iran is at least 1,281—a figure significantly higher than the official narrative put forth by Israeli authorities.

The investigation was based on a comprehensive analysis of burial data from ten major cemeteries across Israel and the occupied territories, including Har Hamenuchot and Har HaZeitim in occupied al-Quds, Yarkon in Petah Tikva, Kiryat Shaul in Tel Aviv, and cemeteries in Haifa, Holon, Rehovot, and Ashdod. Researchers also examined data from multiple Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial societies) in Tel Aviv, al-Quds, Haifa, Petah Tikva, and Rishon LeZion, alongside operational records from ZAKA—emergency response teams that specialize in handling fatalities.

According to the report, cemetery databases in the occupied territories show an average of 150 deaths on regular days. However, in the first 21 days of the war, that average rose by 61 per day, bringing the daily average of buried fatalities to at least 211. Extrapolating from these figures, the investigation arrived at a minimum total of 1,281 fatalities.

Further corroboration came from ZAKA team activity logs, which recorded 703 deployments during the same period. Unlike standard emergency medical services, which operate ambulances to transport the wounded, ZAKA units are deployed exclusively to sites of fatalities and severe disaster scenes.

The investigation noted that these figures do not yet include fatalities from Saturday’s Iranian strikes in Arada and Dimona, which occurred after the data collection period.

Israeli authorities say that since the regime, together with the United States, began its ongoing war against Iran on February 28, between 16 and 18 Israelis have been killed by retaliatory Iranian drones and missiles. They put the number of injuries at approximately 2,300.

Foreign journalists deployed to the occupied territories say the regime has imposed strict censorship to conceal military casualties and the full extent of damage from Iranian attacks.

The military censor has issued binding regulations requiring journalists to submit all war coverage for approval before publication, as revealed by several journalists who posted their received notices online. Reporters are explicitly prohibited from publishing the precise locations of missile impacts or filming damage that could reveal where strikes occurred. Live broadcasts showing city skylines during attacks are also banned.

The Trump administration appears to be following the same policies. Iranian sources say the U.S. is not accurately reporting the number of fatalities from Iranian attacks on American bases in the Persian Gulf, where at least 40,000 American soldiers were deployed before the war. Satellite imagery shows many of the regional U.S. bases have sustained heavy damage, with analysts saying it would take years to rebuild them.

The Trump administration has also employed a strategy of pressure and restriction aimed at discouraging coverage. The administration has used federal agencies to threaten media outlets, with the FCC Chair warning of revoked broadcast licenses for coverage deemed not in the "public interest." Simultaneously, the Pentagon has restricted press access by banning specific reporters and excluding print photographers from briefings, while imposing new rules that force journalists to pledge to report only on officially released information. Washington says it has only lost 14 service members since February 28.