how to say “the fallen” in Hebrew

In English, we talk about someone falling when they die for a cause. In Hebrew we do the same: הנופלים

is one way of saying the fallen.

For example:

היום אנחנו זוכרים את הנופלים.

Today we remember the fallen.

Another, more distinctly-Hebrew word for one who has fallen in battle is חלל

.

For example:

היום מרכינים ראש לחללי מערכות ישראל ונפגעי פעולות האיבה.

Today we bow our heads for the fallen of the ranks of Israel and victims the acts of terror.

חלל also means space. What’s the connection between space and a fallen soldier? A space is created in, say, a room, by puncturing it with a hole. The same can be done with a sword, or a gun for that matter.