Israel says 13,000 people injured since outbreak of Gaza war

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Some 13,000 Israelis have been injured, including 2,500 soldiers, since the outbreak of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, Health Minister Uriel Busso said Monday.

Speaking during a session of the Knesset’s Health Committee, Busso said two billion shekels ($538 million) have been allocated for the mental health and rehabilitation system to increase the number of beds from 900 to 1,500.

“An additional 2,300 hospital beds will be added and multiple resilience centers will be opened in the coming years,” he added.

Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 23,084 Palestinians have since been killed and 58,926 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara