The Ministry of Defense published data that shows 57,277 disabled IDF veterans have been recognized by the Ministry's rehabilitation department, the ministry announced Sunday.
The figure was released in honor of the 5th annual Day of Appreciation for wounded veterans of the IDF. The total includes soldiers who suffer from physical and mental injuries.
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Illustrative: Disabled IDF veterans protesting outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Archive)
In addition to soldiers with physical injuries, nearly 5,000 IDF veterans have been recognized by the rehabilitation department as suffering from PTSD.
According to the data, of those being treated by the ministry’s rehabilitation department, 591 of them are highly disabled, and 817 were injured during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 – 516 of whom have a disability rate of 20% or higher.
The ministry said that every disabled veteran in the department is joined by a team of specialists, as well as a social worker throughout the rehabilitation process, “in order to provide him with a comprehensive medical, social, employment and profit-related response.”
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Illustrative: Disabled IDF veterans protesting outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Archive)
The Day of Appreciation is “our opportunity as a state to stop the daily race to pay tribute to those who paid a heavy price for state security,” said the ministry’s deputy director-general and head of the rehabilitation department, Hezi Mishta.
“The rehabilitation division cherishes disabled IDF veterans every day and works to provide them with the best medical care, to give them the full rights granted by the law and to help reintegrate them to society, school and the workforce. This is our mission.”