Israeli State Comptroller Reveals Systemic Failures in Handling October 7 War Casualties

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman has released special reports exposing significant shortcomings in Israel's response to the wounded from the October 7 Iron Swords war, from the initial evacuation to medical rehabilitation. The reports describe how many injured individuals arrived at hospitals independently or with civilian help due to combat conditions that hindered rapid evacuation. This led to improvised evacuations and exceptional strain on hospital intake and evacuation systems.

The medical rehabilitation phase faced unprecedented challenges, with about 20,000 soldiers and security personnel and 1,600 civilians wounded by September 2025. Approximately 10% suffered moderate to severe injuries, and 1,660 were hospitalized in rehabilitation wards. Prior to the war, Israel had only 850 rehabilitation beds, with 320 additional beds approved due to the surge. The Comptroller highlighted the need to strengthen staffing, infrastructure, and IT systems to meet the long-term care demands.

The reports also criticized the government's unpreparedness in managing civilian aid after the attack, noting that coordination mechanisms and responsible liaisons were lacking in many ministries. Even 20 months after the war began, the government unit responsible for multi-sector cooperation had not consolidated lessons learned or improved emergency readiness.

The Ministry of Defense responded by emphasizing the national priority of rehabilitating security forces' wounded, noting over 25,000 casualties received since October 7 and projecting care for 100,000 by 2028. They cited the establishment of an expert committee and a "rehabilitation before bureaucracy" policy that expedited recognition and treatment. The IDF acknowledged failures in protecting western Negev communities on October 7 and the extraordinary scale of casualties that day. It clarified that patient distribution among hospitals is managed by the Ministry of Health, not the Home Front Command, and supported the Comptroller's recommendation to create shared information systems with the Rehabilitation Department to improve care continuity.