The OECD average for rehab beds is 0.5 per 1,000 people; Israel had only 0.3, leaving a shortfall of roughly 500 beds and 100 doctors.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Construction has begun on ALEH Zahav, a 15-story, 420-bed rehabilitation center in Ramla that aims to address a mounting national crisis.
The facility, led by Israel’s leading disability and rehabilitation network, will provide inpatient care, trauma therapy, hydrotherapy, adaptive sports, advanced imaging, and family support for soldiers and civilians wounded in the Gaza conflict.
“Every day brings dozens of new wounded soldiers — not only with broken bones, but with broken souls,” said ALEH CEO Yehuda Marmorstein. “Rehabilitation is not just about walking again. It is about living again.”
The $81 million project, still in its early excavation phase, has raised $14 million so far.
The government is considering covering 40% of the cost, with additional support expected from the National Insurance Institute and international donors.
Completion is expected in three to four years, a timeline many wounded soldiers fear may be too long. “The first months are crucial,” Marmorstein warned. “A lost year can mean permanent disability.”
Construction is expected to take around 2.5 years.
Until now, Aleh, a nonprofit, was known for providing specialized care for around 260 children and young adults with complex physical and cognitive disabilities.
Many of the children at the Bnei Brak campus require ventilators and 24-hour medical support. The center, which opened in 2019, offered advanced therapies, education, and medical care tailored to their unique needs.
However, the site was damaged by an Iranian missile in June. Aleh is repairing the building and expects to resume its activities there in two months.
Nearly two years after the Hamas assault of October 7, 2023 — the deadliest day in Israel’s history — the war shows no sign of ending.
Thousands of wounded soldiers and civilians are struggling with a rehabilitation system stretched beyond its limits.
According to the IDF, 903 soldiers have been killed and nearly 7,000 wounded since the start of the war. Seven remain hospitalized in light condition, 137 in moderate, and ten in severe.
For many, the injuries are life-altering. “I just want to walk to my parents’ kitchen without crutches,” said Noam, a 23-year-old reservist who lost his leg in Gaza.
He has undergone six surgeries and is still waiting for a prosthetic fitting. Yael, a mother of two from Ashdod injured in a rocket attack, said quietly, “My kids need me back, but I need help first.”
Even before the war, Israel’s rehabilitation system lagged behind international standards.
The OECD average for rehab beds is 0.5 per 1,000 people; Israel had only 0.3, leaving a shortfall of roughly 500 beds and 100 doctors.
Families report patients being transferred between multiple hospitals in search of care. Mental health support is similarly inadequate.
Tens of thousands of survivors are expected to suffer post-traumatic stress, yet Israel has one of the lowest ratios of child psychiatrists in the developed world.
“My son is alive, but he’s locked inside himself,” one mother said. “We can’t reach him, and there’s no one to help.”
When finished, ALEH Zahav will include long-term care units, residential facilities for families, protected spaces, a synagogue, and a research incubator.
The center will stand next to Magen David Adom’s underground blood bank as part of a broader emergency response network.
Ramla Mayor Michael Vidal called the project “a national necessity.” “Rehabilitation will be one of Israel’s greatest challenges in the years ahead,” he said.
“ALEH Zahav will play a vital role in healing our soldiers and civilians.”
For families of the wounded, the center is a symbol of hope.
“My son gave everything for this country,” one wounded soldier’s father said. “Rehabilitation is the least we can give back.”
