Nearly 50 Israeli soldiers commit suicide since Gaza war: Report

JERUSALEM

Nearly 50 Israeli soldiers have died by suicide since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, local media said on Wednesday.

The daily Haaretz said 17 soldiers committed suicide this year, while 24 killed themselves in 2024, and 17 in 2023, including seven following the Gaza war.

The newspaper cited a severe shortage of military mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, as a contributing factor.

It noted systemic failures in the army’s ability to support discharged soldiers, reservists, and personnel in highly traumatic units -- particularly those involved in the identification of fallen soldiers.

According to the paper, hundreds of soldiers with psychological injuries are admitted to the army’s rehabilitation division every month, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following combat operations in Gaza.

On Monday, the Israeli military confirmed that a reserve soldier was found dead in his home in the southern town of Ofakim, in what officials described as a suicide. The soldier had served in a unit responsible for identifying the remains of fallen soldiers.

According to military data, 898 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,134 injured since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023. The army faces domestic accusations of concealing higher losses.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,000 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.