Debunked: 70,000 Disabled Israeli Soldiers
Correct Estimate: Gaza Disabilities could reach 20,000 by end of 2024
Yesterday, I was inspired to do some investigation after seeing reports on social media that could easily mislead the reader into thinking that there have been 70,000 permanently disabled Israeli soldiers due to the war in Gaza.1
Real Data, misinterpreted
The numbers are drawn from real data, but appears to represent the all-time count2 of all disabled Israelis processed by their medical system, not just those specifically from Gaza.
It appears as though the actual number who entered the rehabilitation system was 5,500 wounded soldiers as of February 15, with an expectation of 20,000 by the end of 2024.3
42% of the injuries are to limbs, and
21% suffer from psychological issues, including PTSD.
I was shocked by the 70,000 number and the potential of 20,000 permanently disabled Israelis is still shocking!
Ulterior Motives
I’m concerned that the American public is not aware of the number of dead and disabled Ukrainian and Israelis and they are being sacrificed as cannon-fodder by leadership (including the US) that has ulterior motives for continuing the wars.
Netanyahu’s conflict of interest over future jail time is more widely know but many Americans are unaware of the damage an investigation into Oct 7 failures and misinformation could pose to Netanyahu.4
Biden’s goal is to postpone a loss in Ukraine until after the fall election.
I also suspect that the US’s reckless nuclear brinksmanship in Ukraine is motivated by a desire to push back against the multipolar aspirations of Russia, China, and the BRICS.
Ukraine also has resources that the US and Financial Interests covet.5
Note: I’d welcome someone gathering a similar account for the Palestinian, Ukrainian, and Russian losses.
Footnotes
The post could leave the reader with the impression that these disabilities are all due to the War in Gaza. The actual estimate for 2024 is still shockingly high.
One Pro-Palestinian Twitter poster wrote that the number is since 1984.
Earlier in January 2024, the estimated number of Israelis disabled from the war was expected to be 12,500. (YNet: The gloomy forecast of the Ministry of Defense: 12,500 soldiers will be recognized as disabled due to the war) (translated from Hebrew)
Prime Minister Netanyahu is widely know to be facing the prospect of jail-time over corruption charges. Like a child finding every diversion not to go to bed, war prolongs Netanyahu’s freedom and postpones the investigation into the failures that led to Oct 7.
Lindsay Graham says Ukraine has $10-12 Trillion worth of minerals, in addition to their agricultural land. Ukraine is mortgaging itself to US financing (Blackstone, etc) backed by the US government, which will acquire ownership of many Ukrainian assets.