66,000 requests, 43,000 wounded: "She sends her sons to die for her and then turns her back on them"
About 66,000 requests for recognition have been submitted since the outbreak of the war regarding about 43,000 wounded, and thousands are still waiting for a decision or a medical board. Those suffering from PTSD warned against the damage to rehabilitation: "Forced to fight for their rights."
The Labor and Welfare Committee held a discussion on Wednesday regarding recognition procedures and the work of medical boards in the Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Department. The meeting took place during the recess with special approval, following requests from organizations representing those suffering from PTSD.
According to Ministry of Defense data, since the October 7 war began, the Rehabilitation Department has received about 66,000 requests concerning approximately 43,000 wounded, with decisions made on 47,000 cases. About 10,000 files are still being processed, and 5,075 wounded are currently waiting for medical boards.
Department representatives could not provide average waiting times, but stated that about 1,500 files are transferred to medical boards monthly, and the hospital board system is set to expand.
During the discussion, PTSD sufferers argued that the "rehabilitation first" policy—intended to provide initial treatment before medical boards—along with procedural delays, creates a negative incentive for recovery.
Shamir Benita of the PTSD Forum stated: "When they postpone a board without a rehabilitation plan, the disabled person does not rehabilitate but waits to remain disabled for the board. You can fight reality or understand it."
Benita added: "Since the war began, 114 fighters have committed suicide. 114 souls, and there is not one investigative committee, no one punished for failing to see or treat them. How are we supposed to believe you care about us?"
Criticism was also directed at the practice of assigning temporary disability status. Itzik Saidian, a PTSD sufferer, noted: "A mental injury is an injury in every respect; it is not a passing thing. Anyone who talks about this as temporary does not understand the root of the problem. It is a shame for the State of Israel, which sends its sons to die for it and then turns its back on them."
Committee Chair Michal Woldiger concluded: "The duration of these procedures directly affects treatment. Budgetary or bureaucratic difficulties cannot serve as an excuse for harming those who sacrificed their bodies and souls for us."
