The Number of Wounded Israeli Soldiers Is Mounting, Representing a Hidden Cost of War as Israel Battles Hamas

It is a discomfitingly large figure for a small country: 501 Israeli soldiers, officers, and reservists have been killed in the war against Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday. At least 274 soldiers were killed during the terrorist group’s October 7 attacks, while 167 have been killed in the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. For the thousands of soldiers injured in combat, the challenges are multiplying — for them individually as well as Israeli society as a whole.Igor Tudoran spent just 12 hours inside the Gaza Strip before a missile slammed into his tank, leaving him with a life-altering injury. “Already within the tank, I understood from the condition of my leg that I would lose it. But the question was how much of it will I lose,” he said, seated on a bed in the hospital where he has been treated since he was wounded last month.Mr. Tudoran, 27, a reservist who volunteered for duty after the October 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel by Hamas that triggered the war, lost his right leg beneath the hip. He has kept up a positive attitude — but concedes that his hopes of becoming an electrician may no longer be possible.He is part of a swelling number of wounded Israeli fighters, yet another sizable and deeply traumatized segment of Israeli society whose struggles are emerging as a hidden cost of the war that will be felt acutely for years to come. Given the large numbers of wounded, advocates worry the country is not prepared to address their needs.“I have never seen a scope like this and an intensity like this,” Edan Kleiman, who heads the nonprofit Disabled Veterans Organization, which advocates for more than 50,000 soldiers wounded in this and earlier conflicts, said. “We must rehabilitate these people,” he said.Israel’s Defense Ministry says roughly 3,000 members of the country’s security forces have been wounded since Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 hostage. Nearly 900 of those are soldiers wounded since Israel began its ground offensive in late October, in which troops have engaged in close combat with Hamas terrorists.“They add up,” Yagil Levy, who teaches civil-military relations at Israel’s Open University, said of the wounded. “There could be a long-term impact if we see a big rate of people with disabilities that Israel must rehabilitate, which can produce economic issues as well as social issues.”Israelis still largely stand behind the war’s objectives and it is mostly seen as an existential battle meant to restore a sense of security lost in Hamas’s attacks. In a country with compulsory military service for most Jews, the fate of soldiers is a sensitive and emotional topic.The names of fallen soldiers are announced at the top of hourly newscasts. Their funerals are packed with strangers who come to show solidarity. Their families receive generous support from the army.Yet though lauded as heroes, historically the plight of the wounded has taken a backseat to the stories of soldiers killed in battle. After the fanfare surrounding tales of their service and survival recedes, the wounded are left to contend with a new reality that can be disorienting, challenging, and, for some, lonely. Their numbers have not had significant bearing on public sentiment toward Israel’s wars in the way that mounting soldiers’ deaths have.The exceptionally large numbers of wounded in this war, though, will provide a visible reminder of the conflict for years to come.Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized their sacrifice during a recent visit to wounded soldiers at Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, which has treated and rehabilitated many of the injured. “You are genuine heroes,” he said.At Sheba, soldiers and civilians wounded in the war spilled out into the corridors on a recent day and passed the time with their families on an outdoor deck. Soccer paraphernalia adorned the wounded soldiers’ hospital beds, as did the ubiquitous Israeli flag.One man who had lost a leg after being attacked at the Nova music festival on October 7 lay in the sun on the hospital grounds, his wheelchair parked nearby. An Israeli pop diva, Rita, handed out hugs to some wounded soldiers. A military helicopter carrying more wounded landed nearby.The Israeli Defense Ministry said it was working at “full capacity” to assist the wounded, and that it was cutting red tape and hiring employees to deal with the influx.Jonathan Ben Hamou, 22, who lost his left leg beneath the knee after a rocket-propelled grenade struck the bulldozer he was using to help clear the way for other troops, is already looking forward to the day when he can use a state-funded prosthetic.Mr. Ben Hamou, who mostly uses a wheelchair since the incident in early November, said that he eventually plans to pursue his goal of attending a military commanders’ course.“I’m not ashamed of the wound,” Mr. Hamou, who filmed the RPG’s moment of impact as well as his evacuation to hospital, said. “I was wounded for the country in a war inside Gaza. I am proud.”Yet Mr. Kleiman, who himself was wounded in an operation in the Gaza Strip in the early 1990s, said he thinks Israeli authorities are not grasping the severity of the situation.The disabled veterans group is ramping up efforts to address what he suspects will be the overwhelming needs of a new cadre of wounded soldiers. He said the organization is tripling its manpower, adding therapists and employees to help wounded veterans navigate bureaucracy and upgrade rehab centers.Mr. Kleiman said the number of wounded is likely to stretch close to 20,000 once those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are included.

The Number of Wounded Israeli Soldiers Is Mounting, Representing a Hidden Cost of War as Israel Battles Hamas

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