Israeli Media: 90,000 Injured in the Army Amid Funding Crisis Threatening Their Rehabilitation

SadaNews - Israeli Channel 12 reported on Saturday that the total number of physically and psychologically injured from the Israeli army since October 2023 has reached 90,000, including 26,000 who have received psychological treatment, amid a funding crisis affecting the provision of treatment for the injured soldiers.

The channel quoted the Israeli Ministry of Defense warning that the huge increase in the number of casualties makes any delay in rehabilitation a potential cause for the collapse of the army's rehabilitation system.

It reported from the rehabilitation department in the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for treating Israeli army casualties, that it is "on the verge of collapse," amid the Ministry of Finance's refusal to fund it due to budget shortages.

The report clarified that a committee formed to address this issue recommended allocating 2 billion shekels annually to the department, but the Ministry of Finance announced shortly before the scheduled signing date of the decision that there was no allocated budget for that.

The Ministry of Finance held the Israeli Ministry of Defense responsible, stating that it should cover the budget by "rationalizing" its spending, while the Ministry of Defense responded that the finance ministry is obstructing the implementation of the committee's recommendations and refusing to fund them, then blaming it, according to Israeli Channel 12.

This comes as casualties continue to fall among the Israeli army during its ongoing operations in southern Lebanon.

According to the latest announced figures from the Israeli army, 964 officers and soldiers have been killed since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel imposes strict military censorship on the publication of much information related to its human and material losses during military operations, leading observers to question whether the announced figures reflect the full scale of the losses.