IDF Response to the State Comptroller’s Report on the Evacuation of Casualties on October 7th:
The IDF views the treatment and evacuation of casualties as a paramount value, of national importance, and a fundamental principle of the IDF’s life-saving mission.
The IDF failed in its mission to protect the communities of the Western Negev on October 7th. The number of casualties evacuated by the Gaza Division and the Southern Command on October 7th, under intense and complex combat, was high relative to the evacuation capabilities during that day. IDF forces and Medical Corps personnel on the ground did everything in their power to evacuate all casualties from the communities and bases to hospitals quickly, while providing life-saving initial medical treatment.
The evacuation was managed within a changing priority order, alongside heavy fighting and a large number of casualties with varying degrees of injury, all under the complex operational situation on the ground, where the most urgent mission was to repel the terrorists, alongside achieving operational control and saving lives.
Throughout the day, there was continuous dialogue between the Southern Command and Magen David Adom (MDA), situation assessments were conducted, the medical situation was communicated to all relevant parties, and handover points were established.
Alongside combat efforts and the elimination of terrorists, and within the framework of the order issued by the command a few hours after the attack began, the IDF and the Southern Command also carried out and defined actions for the treatment and evacuation of casualties, including: establishing handover points, allocating dedicated forces for ground and air evacuation, alongside additional operations. It should be clarified that near the beginning of the attack, a Command Medical Operations Room was opened and additional dedicated forces from the Medical Corps were allocated.
We emphasize that the responsibility for defining evacuation destinations and regulating patients among hospitals does not fall on the Home Front Command, but rather on the Ministry of Health and the Supreme Hospitalization Authority. The Home Front Command acts as a supporting entity at the request of the Ministry of Health, a request that was not received on October 7th, 2023.
Today, all of MDA’s control systems are displayed in IDF medical operations rooms – a change that has advanced the ability to create a broad situational picture and improved the IDF’s readiness and coordination with MDA. This is part of the lessons learned from the fighting, and even prior to the publication of the State Comptroller’s report.
Following the events of October 7th, the IDF is conducting a large-scale investigation effort. Alongside this, the IDF continues to conduct learning and investigation processes in cooperation with additional external bodies, as required.
The IDF honors the combat soldiers and medical teams who risked their lives to save the lives of thousands of casualties in the communities of the Western Negev, and strengthens the casualties and their families on their path to recovery and rehabilitation.
IDF Response to the State Comptroller’s Report on the Medical Rehabilitation of IDF Casualties in the War:
The IDF honors the regular and reserve soldiers who were injured physically and mentally, and wishes them complete recovery and a speedy healing. The medical status of IDF service members is detailed in the records of the military computer systems. Rehabilitation Department personnel have viewing permissions for these records and are exposed to all relevant information. However, medical personnel in the IDF are not directly exposed to the treatment provided by the Rehabilitation Department.
The IDF and the Medical Corps support the recommendation to establish a mutual interface of medical treatment systems, in order to improve the continuity of care and enhance the response provided to patients.
