ALBAWABA - An Israeli soldier killed himself after months of trauma on the front lines in Gaza and Lebanon. This shows that the Israeli military's mental health problem is getting worse. The soldier had been going through a lot of mental pain since losing two close friends in the attacks on October 7, 2023, according to the Israeli news site Walla.
His family said that the soldier was greatly affected by the horrible things that happened in war, and that he often complained about the smell of dead bodies and the horrible things he saw while getting the bodies of soldiers who had died. The Israeli army allegedly won't give him a military funeral, even though he served.
This latest suicide is the latest in a string of deaths by suicide by Israeli troops. Israeli news outlets state that at least 43 soldiers have killed themselves since the war started. Most of them did so because they were traumatized by fighting for so long in Gaza and Lebanon. Haaretz said that 35 of these cases had already happened by the end of 2024, and seven more were proven in the beginning of 2025. The army won't give out full numbers, and soldiers who killed themselves are often buried without military honors.
Due to a lack of soldiers, military sources also said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been recruiting reservists with known mental illnesses, including some who are currently getting treatment. Since the war started, more than 9,000 troops have asked for help with their mental health.
"We're fighting with what we have," a top officer said, admitting that the army has to use mentally ill soldiers.
According to an earlier report from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, 43% of soldiers who are hurt and in rehabilitation centers have PTSD. It is thought that by 2030, up to 100,000 people, mostly soldiers, will need long-term mental health care because of the war.
