The Unit 669 combat search and rescue extraction unit, medical teams and Air Force helicopters have whisked more than 1,800 wounded from war zones over the past year. On Tuesday evening, the IDF unveiled footage capturing the pulse-pounding moments of these helicopter rescues: "The fourth is on the ramp, the doctor is coming," the teams called out in one of the videos documenting the seconds that the helicopter was on the ground.
Evacuation of injured IDF soldiers from Lebanon
(IDF)
Since the start of the conflict, the Medical Corps, Unit 669 teams, and rescue helicopters have been active in three combat zones: the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and the West Bank. This week, the IDF has inaugurated a salute week for wounded and disabled IDF soldiers from the Gaza war, including many of those airlifted.
Throughout the last year, Sikorsky CH-53 Yasur and Black Hawk helicopters have soared on over a thousand rescue sorties, leading to the evacuation and saving of more than 1,800 wounded. To date, about 200 of them have been airlifted from the northern sector, and approximately 1,600 from the southern sector, with additional wounded evacuated from various areas and incidents.
Evacuation of injured IDF soldiers from Gaza
(IDF)
Air Force helicopters undertake complex missions in compromised territories, supported by aircraft executing fire strikes to neutralize threats in the area. This is all to join forces with ground combat units and deliver advanced, life-saving care even as bullets rain down upon them.
Senior caregivers work shoulder-to-shoulder with ground forces, ensuring initial medical response until evacuation arrives to guarantee the swiftest and most efficient life-saving treatment. "Activities of the Medical Corps teams and the Air Force rescue teams have saved the lives of many combatants in all war arenas," according to IDF spokesperson.
On Tuesday, the Rehabilitation Division of the Ministry of Defense released its data: About 12,000 wounded IDF and security forces personnel have been received by the Rehabilitation Division since the beginning of the Gaza war, including 910 wounded evacuated to hospitals in the north since the start of the ground maneuver in Lebanon on October 1. Of these, 140 have already been received by the Rehabilitation Division, marking a 50% increase compared to security personnel wounded in the north last month who sought continued treatment. The remaining wounded were classified as lightly injured and returned to combat after receiving medical treatment. About 1,500 were injured twice in the war year.
IDF's data stands at 5,184 wounded since the beginning of the war, but does not account for security personnel who are not soldiers, such as Shin Bet, police officers, emergency team members and those injured in routine events. The average annual cost of the treatment and economic support package for those wounded in war is estimated at about $40,000 per person.
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