Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) and the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) have signed an agreement to establish a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center for veterans of the Israel Defense Forces living with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries.
FIDF has committed $10 million toward the project, expected to open by 2030.
The new center comes as Israel faces growing rehabilitation needs amid nearly three years of war, during which more than 300 soldiers have sustained traumatic brain injuries, including some 100 severe cases requiring intensive, long-term care.
While advances in medicine have enabled more soldiers to survive catastrophic injuries, many face years of specialized care to regain their independence, rebuild their lives, and reintegrate into their families and communities.
“Our responsibility to Israel’s wounded veterans does not end when they leave the battlefield,” said FIDF CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan. “Traumatic brain injuries are often described as invisible wounds because their effects extend far beyond physical symptoms.”
The facility will replace Beit Marguza, a rehab center established in Jaffa in 1973.
The 27,500-square-foot facility to be built on Yitzhak Sadeh Street in Tel Aviv will accommodate about 60 veterans at any given time, and provide multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatments and services.
It will feature three dedicated rehabilitation floors, secure protected spaces, accessible parking, therapeutic outdoor areas, balconies on each level and a rooftop terrace designed to support rehabilitation activities and communal programming.
The project is expected to cost approximately $24 million, with FIDF’s $10 million commitment supporting construction and completion of the facility alongside funding provided by the IMOD.
Ronit Senderovitch, head of the Clinical Social Services Division at the IMOD’s Rehabilitation Department, said “the center will unite world-leading treatments and technologies under one roof in a modern, accessible and dignified setting. Ensuring these individuals receive the finest possible care on their path back to life and community is a national and moral obligation.”
