JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The Israeli Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department said Wednesday it has received 80,000 soldiers since the outbreak of the war in Gaza Strip in October 2023, including 26,000 for mental illness.

The department said that it allocates around 4.2 billion shekels ($1.2 billion) – more than half of its annual budget – to provide medical services for wounded soldiers.

A statement by the department cited by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth said that 33% of the 26,000 soldiers with mental health issues suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The number of injured soldiers, along with a growing wave of suicides, constitutes a “major national challenge,” it warned.

The statement came following protests by former Israeli soldiers outside the rehabilitation department’s headquarters in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv, demanding better treatment and warning of rising suicide risks among reserve soldiers.

According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, 16 soldiers have taken their own lives since the start of this year.

Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its destructive war on Gaza, where more than 61,000 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.