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Suicide Crisis Deepens in Israeli Army: Gaza War Leaves Psychological Scars

21 soldiers died by suicide in 2024 alone—most were Gaza war reservists. Families and experts warn of a mental health emergency ignored by Israel’s military.

Watan-The suicide crisis within the Israeli army has escalated from isolated incidents to a shocking phenomenon. In 2024 alone, 21 soldiers took their own lives, most of them reservists who participated in the war on Gaza, according to a report by the Hebrew outlet “Shomrim.” The report described the figure as the highest in over a decade, despite attempts by the Israeli military establishment to downplay the scope of the disaster.

Military leadership claimed the number is “not high” in proportion to the “doubling of enlisted soldiers.” However, psychological experts and former officials have warned of an even more dangerous wave ahead, describing returning Gaza war soldiers as “ticking time bombs” suffering from severe psychological disorders and post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Families of some of the deceased soldiers revealed that their sons returned from Gaza like shadows—quiet, plagued by nightmares and sudden screaming, sometimes disappearing for hours without explanation. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to ignore these warnings, offering only vague references to “assessment standards” with no real steps toward mental health treatment or support.

With the war on Gaza intensifying and thousands of soldiers reintegrating into civilian life without psychological rehabilitation, observers warn the suicide crisis in the Israeli army will likely worsen in the coming months, with potentially serious consequences for the army’s structure and readiness.

“An invincible army?”—a phrase long promoted by Israel—is now collapsing under a grim reality of silence, mental breakdowns, and voluntary deaths that strike its soldiers far from the battlefield.

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