The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the number of wounded soldiers has climbed to approximately 13,500.
The Israeli military admitted on Tuesday that two soldiers, including a company commander, were killed in southern Gaza.
The soldiers, part of the Engineering Corps’ 7107th Battalion, reportedly died on Monday when a building they entered in Rafah collapsed after the Palestinian Resistance targeted it.
Two others sustained injuries in the incident, according to an initial investigation.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the number of wounded soldiers has climbed to approximately 13,500.
While it did not provide an updated death toll, it recently stated that 808 soldiers have been killed since the war on Gaza began, including 380 during ground operations in the Strip.
Among the injured, 287 soldiers reportedly suffered head injuries, with 87 cases classified as serious, and several soldiers are now relying on wheelchairs.
This comes after the Department of Rehabilitation at the Israeli Security Ministry announced that more than 13,500 Israeli soldiers have been wounded throughout the war.#GazaStrip#Palestine https://t.co/YejvJ1DfUt
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 17, 2024
Additionally, 37 percent of wounded troops have sustained limb injuries, primarily fractures, according to Israeli government data.
Mental health issues are also taking a severe toll on Israeli forces. Around 5,200 soldiers are grappling with psychological challenges, including 3,350 facing anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders, and 1,300 suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
By the end of 2024, nearly 14,000 wounded soldiers are expected to require treatment, with 40 percent anticipated to experience mental health challenges.
Monthly, over 1,000 soldiers are removed from combat roles for psychological treatment. Of these, 35 percent report mental distress, and 27 percent suffer from PTSD or related conditions.
The mental strain has also reportedly led to a troubling increase in suicides among soldiers.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that at least 10 Israeli soldiers took their own lives between October 7 and May 11.
However, when asked about the overall suicide rate during the war, Uzi Bechor, a psychologist and commander of the Israeli military’s Combat Response Unit, declined to provide specific figures, citing restrictions. Bechor described the suicide rate as “stable” but acknowledged the immense emotional toll on troops.
An Israeli medic told CNN that many young soldiers have exhibited signs of severe trauma, ranging from emotional numbness to frequent crying, underscoring the psychological burden of the war.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,059 Palestinians have been killed, and 107,041 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Al Mayadeen)
