Pathological evaluation of trauma in fatal casualties of the Lebanon War, 1982.

From 6 June to 20 September 1982, 271 of 376 fatal casualties sustained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Lebanon War, 1982, were examined by pathologists of the IDF Medical Corps at a central examination center. An attempt was made to determine the nature of the weapons that caused the injuries. The examination was almost always restricted to external inspection of the body, and a complete autopsy was performed in only a few instances. X-ray facilities were used to detect foreign metallic fragments in the tissues and, where possible, these fragments were subjected to ballistic evaluation. It was found that explosions of various types were the most frequent cause of injury and death; gunshot injuries were second in frequency. Other causes, such as aircraft or traffic accidents and stab wounds, were responsible for very few of the deaths.