Israeli News Outlet "Walla" reported on Friday evening that since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, 4,000 Israeli soldiers have been left with disabilities, with the number expected to rise to 30,000.
The website considers the Islamist Movement (Hamas) attack on October 7th to have led Israel into a war unlike any in terms of the number of wounded soldiers. However, more importantly, the nature of the injuries is exceedingly serious.
The Israeli military does not publicize all casualty data to the public, fearing a potential impact on morale.
Currently, about 4,000 soldiers are recognized as having disabilities according to "Classification 3," which entitles them to all the treatments and rights enjoyed by a disabled person in the Israeli army, without being officially recognized as such.
The site mentioned that injured soldiers are paid their salaries and receive treatment even without having to prove anything, highlighting that their rehabilitation process will begin as soon as possible to return them to normal life.
Serious Cases
The website quotes Eidan Kaliman, the head of the Israeli army's disabled organization, who stated that for every physical therapist they used to work with, they now require four to keep up with the number of the wounded. The same applies to all other therapeutic professions.
Kaliman added, "We need to triple our strength all at once for the sake of our soldiers, and we are prepared to face this challenge. I've been in the system for 30 years, I've never faced such a number of wounded and in such serious condition."
He pointed out that there are many wounded who have had limbs amputated, as well as those who have been blinded or paralyzed.
The Israeli military announced the draft of 360,000 reserve soldiers for the ongoing war against the Gaza Strip since October 7th, with the ground operation beginning on the 27th of the same month.
Military data published indicates that the number of officers and soldiers killed since the beginning of the war has reached 520, including 186 since the beginning of the ground attack in the Gaza Strip.
