Planned Israeli government cuts will cripple trauma care for October 7 survivors, warn NGOs
A joint civil-society appeal urges the government to halt its January 2026 budget reductions that would impact the Resilience Centers that support 14,000 Israelis, including children.
A coalition of 16 mental-health organizations has issued an urgent warning to government leaders: planned funding cuts to Israel’s Resilience Centers will result in the near-immediate collapse of trauma-treatment services relied on by tens of thousands of Israelis since October 7.
The collective appeal, addressed to the Ministers of Health, Finance, and Labor, cautions that the government’s scheduled budget reduction on January 1, 2026, will force centers across the country to close or drastically reduce their therapeutic capacity within days.
For context: The government has approved a major increase to defense and security spending for 2025 — about 31 billion shekels. To finance this, starting in 2026, the government will implement a broad cut of roughly 3.3–3.35% in the baseline budgets of most government ministries.
The government, specifically the Ministry of Health, claims there is no official directive to cut the budget of the Resilience Centers. However, one estimate suggests that Resilience Centers may face a specific cut of about 40 million shekels, which some center directors warn would force layoffs of therapists and the collapse of services.
According to the letter, the nationwide Resilience Center network currently supports more than 14,000 Israelis, including children, Nova festival survivors, displaced families from the South and North, and first responders. Together, the centers provide more than 7,000 therapy sessions every week, alongside 24/7 community and clinical support in the regions hardest hit since the war.
The coalition warns that removing funding now—more than two years after the October 7 attacks—would abruptly sever ongoing care at a moment when psychological needs remain at historic levels.
“Trauma recovery cannot be paused.”
The NGOs describe a system already stretched to its limits. National estimates suggest that up to 900,000 Israelis have experienced significant psychological impact since the war, with tens of thousands requiring sustained, long-term treatment.
Yet the proposed cuts would dismantle multidisciplinary teams, reduce access to qualified trauma specialists, and eliminate essential therapeutic programs. The organizations argue that the government’s plan not only ignores the scale of ongoing need, but also jeopardizes the stability of Israel’s entire trauma-care infrastructure.
SafeHeart CEO Efrat Atun, speaking on behalf of the coalition, stressed that ongoing support is essential for survivors still in active recovery. “Trauma recovery is a long-term process. It cannot be paused, delayed, or expected to align with budget cycles,” she said. “If these cuts move forward, thousands of people who are still in active recovery will lose the only lifeline they have.”
In their letter, the 16 NGOs urge the government to:
Suspend the planned reduction in funding
Establish stable, long-term budgeting for trauma and mental-health care
Ensure continuity of treatment for all survivors currently receiving therapy
They emphasize that they are ready to work with policymakers on a sustainable national model—but warn that allowing the cuts to take effect on January 1 will cause “severe and lasting damage.”
“At a moment when so many Israelis are still carrying profound psychological wounds, it is unthinkable that treatment would be withdrawn. We are urging decision-makers to act now, before thousands of survivors are left without support,” Atun added.