WEST ABANK (Dispatches) – Official data revealed by the Zionist regime 0shows that 300,000 people in various parts of the occupied territories have accessed mental health services since the beginning of the genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023. The data issued by the regime’s ministry of health was presented to the Parliamentary Health Committee.
“The number of patients in the field has gradually increased and reached 300,000 people, at varying degrees due to the war,” explained the head of the Mental Health Division in the ministry, Gilad Bodenheimer. “330 million shekels [$88.4mn] has been allocated in grants to support the health funds to expand psychiatric clinics for the year 2024, while 610mn shekels [$163.4m] has been allocated for the year 2025.”
The official pointed out that the number of psychotherapists, social workers, mental health doctors and occupational therapists has increased over the same period.
“The psychological crisis caused by the tragic events and the war that followed obligates us as a committee and as a society to ensure that the ongoing efforts made for the psychological rehabilitation of those affected and their relatives does not stop,” added the head of the Knesset Health Committee, Yonatan Mashriki MK, from the Shas party.
In July, Israel set up a committee to meet the needs of soldiers suffering from mental health and psychological problems since the start of the regime’s barbarous campaign in Gaza in early October 2023.
The regime’s ministry for military affairs said the committee will be tasked with treating soldiers who have suffered mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to the statement, about 36 percent of the 9,400 injured have been suffering from mental health issues.
The rehabilitation division of the ministry estimates that by the end of the year, at least 5,600 will struggle with mental disorders.
Israeli media have reported a surge in mental health disorder among settlers and soldiers following Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by the Palestinian resistance fighters in October.
In June, Israeli authorities said the number of disabled Israeli soldiers had surpassed the 70,000 mark for the first time.