The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department said on Sunday that it has treated some 20,000 wounded soldiers since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, more than half of whom are suffering from mental health conditions.
According to the Defense Ministry, some 56% of those treated by the rehab centers amid the war are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.
Some 9% of the wounded are defined as having moderate-to-severe injuries; 56 soldiers are classified as having over 100% disability — the most severe level of injury; 24 wounded have 100% disability; 16 of those wounded are paralyzed; and 99 are amputees who received prosthetics, the ministry said.
The ministry said that overall, some 45% of the 20,000 are physically wounded; some 35% are suffering PTSD and other mental health conditions; and around 20% are suffering both physical injuries and mental health conditions.
Among the 20,000 wounded soldiers, around 64% are reservists.
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Each month, around 1,000 wounded soldiers from the war are treated by the rehab department, in addition to around 600 requests from previous wars.
FILE: Israeli soldiers wounded in the war with Hamas walk in the rehabilitation division of Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, December 18, 2023. (AP/Oded Balilty)
Including previous wars, the ministry said the rehab department is caring for a total of 81,700 wounded veterans, including 31,000, or 38%, suffering from mental health conditions. It forecasts that by 2028, the center will be treating some 100,000, with at least half of them suffering from PTSD and other mental health conditions.
The rehab department’s budget stands at NIS 8.3 billion ($2.5 billion), NIS 4.1 billion of which is dedicated to treating those with mental health conditions, the ministry said.
Officials at the rehab department say they have identified that “in the coming years, alongside the national challenges of the increase in the number of wounded, the continuation of the war, the treatment of those dealing with mental health conditions, the concern about suicide, and the shortage of therapists, there are challenges that require immediate response.”
The challenges include “a shortage of staff, with a ratio of 1:750 patients per rehabilitation worker; the need to simplify bureaucracy; and new and unique needs required for the newly wounded,” it said.
IDF troops simulate an aerial evacuation of wounded soldiers near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, in images cleared for publication on March 26, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
In light of the challenges, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich recently announced the establishment of a public committee headed by Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, chairman of Leumit Health Services, to formulate recommendations on how to expand the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded IDF soldiers.
The new initiative plans to examine and recommend improvements in key areas, including recognition of wounded veterans, streamlining medical and psychological rehabilitation, employment integration, family support systems and allocation of budget and manpower resources.
Since the war began with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion, 904 IDF soldiers have been killed across the various arenas of conflict.
That figure includes 329 soldiers killed during the October 7 attack and 460 during the ensuing ground operations in Gaza and amid operations on the border. It also includes 29 soldiers killed in Hezbollah attacks inside Israel, and 51 soldiers who were killed during ground operations in Lebanon.
Friends and family attend the funeral of Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem, who was killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, at the military cemetery in Kfar Etzion, July 15, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
Twelve soldiers were killed in terror attacks in the West Bank and Israel, and five soldiers were killed during counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank.
Two soldiers were killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and one soldier was killed in a ballistic missile attack from Iran.
The military’s list also includes a soldier killed by friendly fire in the West Bank, a soldier killed due to malfunctioning ammunition on the Lebanon border, two soldiers killed in a tank accident in northern Israel, and a number of other deadly incidents amid the war that were not directly related to the fighting.
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