The physical and psychological toll of the longest war in Israel’s history continues to grow, with thousands of soldiers wounded since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. Seeking to prepare the country for the long-term consequences, a public committee submitted recommendations to Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday for a major expansion of rehabilitation and support services for injured veterans.

According to the committee, 25,000 soldiers have been injured in the past two and a half years of war, 70 percent of whom are officially recognized by the government as eligible for disability benefits.

The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department, responsible for reintegrating injured security personnel into civilian life by providing them with social services and financial support, is currently caring for some 87,000 people from all of Israel’s wars and operations, including disabled underground fighters from the British Mandate era, before the establishment of the state in 1948.

That number is projected to grow, with the committee estimating that by 2028, 100,000 wounded will be under its care, around 50,000 of them suffering from psychological trauma.

In response to what officials have described as the fastest rise in casualties in the history of Israel, Katz and Smotich announced the creation of the public committee in September, headed by Shlomo Mor-Yosef, chairman of Leumit Health Services, in order to formulate recommendations to expand the national response for treating and rehabilitating wounded soldiers and other security personnel.

Despite its budget nearly doubling, from NIS 5.2 billion ($1.8 billion) before Hamas’s October 7 attack to NIS 10 billion ($3.4 billion) today, the Rehabilitation Department has struggled to keep pace with the surge in wounded veterans, some of whom are........

© The Times of Israel