IDF launches support program for wounded soldiers

New 'Telam' command to provide personalized care and rights advocacy for over 15,000 soldiers injured since October 7.

 The IDF Telam course graduation ceremony. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
The IDF Telam course graduation ceremony.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

About 70 reserve officers have completed the first training course for the IDF’s new Telam Command (support, accompaniment, and rights fulfillment) and will assume their roles in the coming days, the military and Defense Ministry announced.

Telam’s focus is to accompany wounded soldiers once they are discharged from hospitalization.

Currently, over 15,000 wounded IDF and security forces personnel have been treated by the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division since October 7, 2023.

Since the war began, Rehabilitation Division liaisons have been stationed in hospitals across the country, assisting the injured and their families. Once discharged, the wounded receive personalized contact from the Rehabilitation Division.

Now, the division is partnering with the IDF Personnel Directorate to add a new system of Telam officers, aiming to create a more comprehensive and personalized support network.

  The IDF Telam course graduation ceremony. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)Enlrage image
The IDF Telam course graduation ceremony. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

A central point of contact

The officers underwent specialized training to identify medical and psychosocial needs, working alongside the support provided by the IDF and the Rehabilitation Division, which served as the central point of contact for the wounded.

“Since the war began, the Rehabilitation Division has focused on providing immediate response to the changing needs of the wounded. The Telam officers who will begin their work in the coming days will complete the personal support framework provided by the Division and help ease the wounded’s return home,” said Tzipi Feldman, deputy head of the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division.

“The important cooperation between the IDF and the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division allows the wounded to better exercise their rights and focus on recovery and return to independent and full lives.”