This year saw almost double the number of rabies cases compared with the previous year, the Veterinary Services at the Agriculture Ministry reported on Wednesday.
In 2025, 102 animals were recorded as infected with rabies, setting a new record; in 2024, only 55 cases were recorded. The previous record-holding year, 2017, only had 74 cases.
Rabies affects all mammals and is transmitted through saliva, generally through bites. The disease is considered incurable and fatal once symptoms begin, though it can be prevented through preemptive vaccinations for animals and pre-symptom vaccinations for humans.
The Veterinary Services noted that rabies cases are listed only when an animal has been captured, tested, and confirmed to be infected. As such, the number of rabies cases recorded does not convey the true number of animals carrying the disease, which may be higher.
Several rabies cases were found in the West Bank. Though the Agricultural Ministry only counts cases from communities in which Israelis live, it is known that the number of rabies cases in the area as a whole is far higher, and that at least two Palestinians from villages in the Jenin district were killed, including a five-year-old child.
Infected animals penetrate northern border
Most of the cases were located near the northern border. Countries surrounding Israel, such as Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, do not properly treat or prevent the disease among domestic animals and wildlife. Therefore, infected animals may cross the border and cause infections in Israel.
"Most animals that contract rabies come from neighboring countries," explained Dr. Gil Shavit, a veterinarian from Yesud Hama’ala. "In southern Lebanon, the villages are abandoned, meaning there is no food and no garbage. Stray dogs and wild animals try to reach places where they see light, where they see life, and so they enter communities in Israel."
In response to the sharp rise in rabies cases this year, the Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association urged cat owners in northern Israel, especially in rural areas and near the borders, to vaccinate their cats, in addition to the mandatory rabies vaccination for dogs.