The rehabilitation department of Israel’s ministry of military affairs says it has received 80,000 soldiers since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the department said that it allocated around $1.2 billion, more than half of its annual budget, to provide medical services for the wounded soldiers.
The department is also providing care for thousands of soldiers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental illnesses caused by trauma during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
At least 33% of the 26,000 soldiers with mental health issues suffer from PTSD, the department said.
It further warned that the number of injured soldiers, along with a growing wave of suicides, constitutes a “major national challenge” for Israel.
The statement came following protests by former Israeli soldiers outside the rehabilitation department’s headquarters near Tel Aviv, demanding better treatment and warning of rising suicide risks among reserve soldiers.
Israeli media reports say at least 16 soldiers have taken their own lives since the start of this year.
A recent Israeli military investigation found a rise in suicides among its soldiers.
The findings indicated that most suicides stemmed from prolonged exposure to combat, traumatic battlefield experiences, and the psychological toll of losing comrades.
Despite attempts by the Israeli army to censor reports of suicides and the surrounding circumstances, evidence continues to emerge of a sharp increase in such cases. Media outlets have suggested that the actual number of suicides may be even higher than reported.
The Israeli army has reportedly been burying some of these soldiers without military funerals or public announcements, in a desperate effort to conceal the extent of the crisis.
In recent months, a growing manpower shortage has prompted the Israeli army to recall soldiers diagnosed with PTSD.
Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 61,000 people have been killed since October 2023. The war has devastated the besieged Palestinian region and brought it to the verge of famine.
The military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, the Qassam Brigades, recently warned that if Israel chooses to continue with the “war of extermination,” it will witness increasing funerals of its soldiers and military officers.
Press TV
