Some 12,000 injured soldiers and security personnel have entered physical rehabilitation programs since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, including 900 wounded over the past month in Lebanon, according to data published on Tuesday by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department.
Around 66% of the 12,000 are reservists, 93% are men and 51% are between the ages of 18 and 30.
Since the beginning of the “Swords of Iron” war, the department has received an average of a thousand wounded troops and security forces every month.
The number of injuries in the north surged by 150% from September to October following the start of ground operations in Southern Lebanon on Oct. 1, with 910 soldiers evacuated to hospital over this period.
Around 1,500 soldiers were injured twice during the war, meaning that they were treated at a rehab center, returned to service and then were injured again.
Official IDF data lists 5,184 injured soldiers since the beginning of the war, but the Rehabilitation Department figures also include security personnel such as Israel Security Agency forces, police officers, emergency response team members and others.
According to the Defense Ministry, roughly 5,200, or 43%, of those received at rehabilitation centers suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psychological issues. Some 14% are classified as having moderate to severe injuries, including 23 with severe head injuries, 60 amputees and 12 who lost their eyesight.
The Rehabilitation Department is also working with some 62,000 wounded veterans from previous wars. The forecast is for the department by 2030 to be treating some 100,000 people, with at least half suffering from PTSD and other psychological challenges.
The annual medical and financial cost for each wounded soldier is estimated at 150,000 shekels ($40,113).
While the Rehabilitation Department’s budget has increased by 1.9 billion shekels ($507.7 million) to 7.3 billion ($1.95 billion) since Oct. 7, 2023, the head of the department, Limor Luria, is warning that more money is needed.
“We need a budgetary response,” she was quoted by Ynet as saying on Tuesday.
“We have approached the Finance Ministry to enable us to respond to the high number of injured, which is expected to continue growing in the coming years, and to provide the best possible care for them,” she said.
