22,000 added to Israel’s rehab division since war, majority with mental-health injuries

The Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Department announced on Monday that 82,400 wounded individuals are currently being treated, of whom 31,000 are dealing with mental-health and post-trauma conditions, ahead of Israel’s National Appreciation Day for wounded IDF and security forces for the Jewish year 5786.

Since the Oct. 7 massacre, about 22,000 newly wounded individuals have entered treatment in the Rehabilitation Department, 58% of them coping with psychological trauma. In addition, around 1,500 new requests for recognition are submitted each month.

The Rehabilitation Department added that, according to its estimates, by 2028 approximately 100,000 wounded individuals will have been treated in the department, half of them coping with mental-health challenges.

Due to the scale of casualties and the national challenge, the Defense Ministry, together with the Finance Ministry, initiated a public committee led by Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef to examine expanding the national response, support, and treatment for IDF wounded.

“The Department is expanding the medical and psychological treatment framework for the wounded and working to ensure their rights,” the Defense Ministry’s statement read.

The Rehabilitation Department’s budget has jumped by 53% and now stands at 8.3 billion shekels. Half of this sum is dedicated to services for those coping with mental-health injuries — who constitute about a third of the department’s patients. Over the past year, the number of psychological treatments provided by the department doubled, and there was a roughly 50% increase in the use of alternative therapies and an 80% rise in calls to the ‘One Soul’ mental-health hotline.

The National Appreciation Day for wounded IDF and security forces will be marked this evening at a state ceremony attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, and Chairman of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, Adv. Idan Klinman.

More data released by the Defense Ministry: Of all patients in the department, 9% are women; 26% of all patients were injured in the past two years; 49% of all IDF disabled veterans were injured during compulsory service; 26% during reserve duty; 13% during career service; and 9% are police officers. 68% of patients are over age 40, 64% are married, and 8% are divorced.

In addition, 873 wounded patients are wheelchair-bound — 132 of them injured after Oct. 7. A total of 612 wounded individuals are classified as having “special disability” with over 100% disability, the highest disability rating. Of these, 64 were injured in the current war. There are 115 patients coping with blindness, five of whom were injured in the current war. The department treats 1,061 amputees, 88 of whom were injured in the last two years.

The Rehabilitation Department also published that Modi’in–Maccabim–Re’ut is the city with the highest number of wounded relative to its population, followed by Herzliya and Ramat Gan.

The oldest IDF disabled veteran receiving care fought in the pre-state Haganah militia and is 98 years old.

Around 22,000 wounded individuals were taken in by the Rehabilitation Department after the Oct. 7 massacre. Of them, 58% are coping with psychological injuries, 63% are reservists, and 49% are under age 30.

According to the department’s estimates, by the end of 2026 an additional 10,000 wounded will be taken into care, most of them with psychological injuries.

“The Rehabilitation Department continues to develop and expand unique services for the wounded,” the Defense Ministry stated.

Among the services: the MATAN Team — a unique intervention team of therapists who arrive at a wounded person’s home during psychological crises. Over the past year, the team responded to 249 emergency calls, helping stabilize and calm situations and preventing hospitalization. The number of wounded treated in nature-based rehabilitation farms across the country increased 2.2-fold, and more than 30,000 wounded receive emotional therapy, twice as many as last year.

More than 11,500 family members of wounded individuals receive emotional support treatment through the department, and there has been a 50% increase in the use of alternative treatments. The department operates 147 ODT (outdoor training) therapy groups, and there has been a 30% increase in participants compared to last year. Over 20,500 calls were made to the “One Soul” hotline — an 80% increase from last year.

As part of the efforts to integrate disabled veterans into meaningful employment, a specialized cyber training program was established, including personal mentoring. 100% of participants were placed in the workforce, with full support for employers as well.

In parallel, the “Winning With You” program was launched, providing tools, guidance, and support for integration into the high-tech sector, in collaboration with leading companies in Israel. Additionally, the department is promoting the adoption of innovative technologies, including those based on artificial intelligence, and is developing new initiatives and research with the Defense R&D Directorate (MAFAT).

The department also expanded its Customer Relations Division, which assigns a personal contact representative to each wounded veteran of the war. The division began operating the Talam Officers Project (Support, Guidance, and Rights Facilitation) in cooperation with the IDF Casualties Division. They provide guidance to around 4,000 wounded veterans of this war, conduct home visits, and offer personal assistance as needed.

The department is developing a special treatment framework for unique groups, such as the one currently provided to individuals with traumatic brain injuries, with a multidisciplinary team, a dedicated care coordinator, and a nurse available 24/7. A “Dror” unit was also established to treat the 30 released hostages taken in by the department and their families, providing holistic support, personal contact, and high availability.

Chairman of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, Adv. Idan Klinman, stated, “These figures must serve as an urgent wake-up call for all of us. These numbers are not just numbers — they are people, heroes, and entire families who sacrificed their bodies and souls for us.”

He added: “The high figures show how great a national challenge this is, and how much the state must step in immediately. The manpower shortage that is worsening, the professionals who are not being reinforced, and the rising numbers — all of these could lead us to another disaster.”

“Our warnings are clear,” Klinman cautioned. “We cannot leave any wounded person behind, not even those whose injuries are invisible — who make up more than half of those who joined the circle only in the latest war. Our Beit HaLohem centers across the country exist so that our heroes can rehabilitate and return to life.”