Smoking Kills 8,000 Israelis Every Year: Health Ministry

About 8,000 Israelis die each year from diseases caused by smoking, a new report from the Israeli Ministry of Health found.

The report, which was submitted to the Knesset on Tuesday, found that 10% of the 8,000 were themselves nonsmokers whose diseases were caused by secondhand smoke.

According to the report, about one in five Israeli smokes, and 65% of nonsmokers were exposed last year to environmental tobacco smoke. More than a third of Israeli children are exposed to secondhand smoke, with higher rates among Arab-Israeli children.

Among youth, the percentage of smokers is rising. Nine percent of Israelis in fifth through tenth grade reported smoking at least one cigarette a day in 2022, up from 4.8% in 2019 and 6% in 2021.

In response to the report, the Israel Society for the Prevention and Cessation of Smoking criticized the government for not taking adequate steps to reduce smoking. “Israel is failing to address the damage caused by tobacco because it is not making a sufficient effort,” the group said in a statement.