Over 4,000 Israeli soldiers left disabled by war on Gaza: report

At least 4,000 Israeli troops have become disabled since the beginning of Israel's onslaught on Gaza on 7 October, according to a report by Israeli news site Walla.

"The country is preparing to receive a large number of disabled Israeli soldiers, and after 100 days of the war, around 4,000 soldiers have already been acknowledged as having disabilities," the report said.

Israel's military offensive on the besieged enclave, which has killed at least 23,800 people - mostly women and children - has seen unprecedented injuries inflicted on Israeli forces on the ground, the report said, adding that the injuries were "extremely severe".

"Thanks to the devoted and high-quality care provided by rescue teams and medical teams, those with severe injuries survive," the report said.

The news site reported that the Israeli army "does not provide all data about the wounded to the public, for fear that it will lower people's morale."

"Currently, about 4,000 soldiers (with disabilities) have been recognised according to classification 3, meaning they are entitled to all treatments and rights enjoyed by a disabled person in the Israeli army without being officially recognized in this way," Walla reported.

The report said that salaries were being paid to injured soldiers and their treatment without need of proof of the injuries, and that the rehabilitation process "will begin soon to reintegrate them into life".

Walla cited comments by Idan Kaliman, chairman of the Israel Defence Forces Organisation for the Disabled, saying: "I have been in the organisation for 30 years, and I have never encountered such a large number of severely wounded individuals. There are many wounded with amputated limbs, blindness, or paralysed."

Kaliman pointed out that there were "many wounded who have had their limbs amputated, as well as those who were blinded and paralysed."

The Israeli army announced the conscription of 360,000 reservists in the ongoing war on Gaza Strip, which began on 7 October. Its ground operations began on 27 October, with reports of fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters.

As of Friday, the officially reported number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war reached 520.