According to Defense Ministry projections, by 2028 Israel will be treating approximately 100,000 wounded soldiers, half of whom are expected to suffer from psychological injuries.
By Ehud Amiton, TPS
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Sunday the establishment of a public committee tasked with expanding Israel’s national response to the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, amid what officials describe as an unprecedented increase in casualties from the ongoing war.
“The wounded men and women of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] are the public emissaries of all of us, and the national duty is to ensure their full rehabilitation, to accompany them and support them throughout the journey,” Katz said.
“The decision to establish the public committee stems from a deep understanding of the costs of war and the growing need, and it is intended to provide a real response—medical, emotional, and occupational—out of moral and social responsibility to the entire country. We will leave no one behind.”
More than 18,500 soldiers and police officers have been injured since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2025.
According to Defense Ministry projections, by 2028 Israel will be treating approximately 100,000 wounded soldiers, half of whom are expected to suffer from psychological injuries.
Officials say this represents the fastest increase in the number of wounded in the country’s history.
The committee will examine ways to streamline the process of recognizing wounded veterans, expand medical and psychological services, improve access to employment, and simplify the system of benefits.
It will also consider support frameworks for family members of the wounded, including spouses, children, and parents.
Another mandate will be defining shared responsibility with government agencies, the business community, and civil society, while identifying the necessary resources in terms of budget, manpower, and organizational structure.
The committee will be chaired by Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef and include senior representatives from the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division, the IDF Disabled Organization, the Israel Defense Forces, the Finance Ministry, and experts in rehabilitation and psychiatry.
Prof. Yitzhak Shapira, deputy director of Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, will serve as deputy chair.
Smotrich said the decision reflects the government’s “absolute” obligation to those injured in service.
“They are the moral spearhead of the people of Israel, and our responsibility is to provide them with the best care, rehabilitation, and support without unnecessary bureaucracy and without delays,” he insisted.
“The move to establish the committee is a significant step on the way to creating a comprehensive national response, adapted to the new reality, which will integrate all branches of the state together. We will ensure that the necessary budgets and resources are made available to them, so that every soldier who injured their body and soul for the sake of all of us can rehabilitate, return to a full life, and integrate into society and employment in the most beneficial way.”
In May, the military reported that its Medical Corps achieved the fastest battlefield medical evacuation times ever recorded during an armed conflict.
According to data released by the IDF, wounded soldiers in Gaza are now being evacuated to hospitals in an average of just 51 minutes by helicopter and 61 minutes by ground—down from a 90-minute average during the 2014 war.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.
