- The potential recognition of 20,000 disabled Israeli soldiers raises concerns about official figures.
- A report warns of possible cases akin to an Israeli soldier setting himself on fire in 2021, citing ministry-related humiliation.
At least 12,500 Israeli soldiers are anticipated to be officially designated as “disabled” as a consequence of being active in the Israeli Defence Force, according to a report by Israeli news outlet Yediot Ahronoth. This somber projection was outlined by a company hired by Israel’s defense ministry to assess injuries among troops. However, the estimate is cautious and the number of disability recognition requests may escalate to 20,000.
The defense ministry’s rehabilitation department is currently providing assistance to 60,000 disabled Israeli soldiers, with 5,000 new cases, including 3,400 since October 7, 2023. Notably, these figures pertain to soldiers and not civilians.
Yediot Ahronoth highlighted discrepancies in the injury figures provided by the army since October 7th, suggesting that the official data contradicts the army’s injury tally. As of late December, the defense ministry reported around 3,000 Israeli soldiers injured since October 7th, with over 2,300 considered disabled by the army.
Concerns have been raised about the financial and logistical challenges that may arise with the addition of thousands more soldiers to rehabilitation services, potentially leading to issues similar to the case of Itzik Saidian, an Israeli soldier who was serving in the army in 2014 and set himself on fire in 2021, expressing feeling “humiliated during every contact” with the ministry.
