The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department said Monday it has treated some 22,000 wounded soldiers since October 7, 2023, more than half of whom are suffering from mental health conditions.
According to the ministry, some 58 percent of those treated by the rehab centers since the start of the war are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.
Among the 22,000 soldiers, around 63% are reservists.
The ministry said the rehab department is caring for a total of 82,400 wounded veterans, 9% of whom are women, including those injured in previous wars.
Some 48% of all wounded veterans were injured during their mandatory military service, 26% during reserve duty, 13% during career service, and 9% are police personnel, the rehab department said.
The department said there are a total of 873 wheelchair-bound veterans, including 132 wounded on and since October 7; 612 are classified as having over 100% disability — the most severe level of injury — including 64 from the current war; 115 are suffering blindness, including five from the current war; and there are 1,061 amputees, 88 of whom were injured in the past two years of war.
The ministry forecast that by the end of 2026, the centers will receive another 10,000 wounded veterans, most of whom will be suffering from PTSD or other mental health conditions.
The rehab department’s budget stands at NIS 8.3 billion ($2.57 billion), of which NIS 4.1 billion ($1.27 billion) is dedicated to treating those with mental health conditions, the ministry said.
Modiin is the city with the highest number of wounded veterans relative to its population, followed by Herzliya and Ramat Gan.
The oldest among the IDF wounded veterans fought in the pre-state Haganah and is 98 years old, the department noted.
Monday’s figures represented an increase of some 2,000 soldiers treated by the centers since a previous update in September.
At the time, the ministry noted a series of challenges going forward, including a shortage of staff, with just one rehab worker per 750 patients, as well as a need to simplify bureaucracy.
Earlier that month, the finance and defense ministries had announced the formation of a new committee to arrive at recommendations for expanding care to wounded veterans.
Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, 922 soldiers, officers, and reservists — including several dozen local security officers – have been killed across its various arenas.
Some 331 of them were killed on the border with the Gaza Strip during Hamas’s initial terror onslaught, and 471 during a ground offensive in the Hamas-run territory and amid operations on the border.
The Israel Police has listed 58 officers who were killed confronting the terrorists on the Gaza border, two officers killed during operations in the Strip, seven officers killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, and three other officers killed during clashes with terror operatives in West Bank raids.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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