watan-The Hebrew media shed light on the consequences of the Gaza war on the families of occupation soldiers, particularly those in the reserves, confirming that a third of these soldiers’ wives are considering separation due to the war.
The Israeli websites “Walla” and “Israel Hayom” reported the results of a survey conducted on the wives of reserve soldiers, involving 1070 participants.
The results indicated that about one-third of the wives of reserve soldiers in the Israeli army may separate from their husbands because of the war.
The survey, conducted by “The Brain Pool,” confirmed that 31% of the wives of occupation soldiers reported negative changes in their relationships with their Israeli husbands since leaving reserve duty in Gaza.
31% من زوجات جنود الاحتياط في جيش الاحتلال الاسرائيلي يرجحن الإنفصال عن ازواجهن من خلال استطلاع أجراه معهد الأبحاث “The Brain Pool” لمنتدى زوجات جنود الاحتياط، وشمل 1070 شخصاً،وقال التقرير الذي نشره موقع واللا الإسرائيلي إن العلاقات الزوجية بعد اكثر من 100 يوم من الحرب تشهد حربا… pic.twitter.com/CrNv1fVOCs
— A Mansour أحمد منصور (@amansouraja) February 3, 2024
Egyptian journalist Ahmed Mansour, a program host on Al Jazeera, commented on the report, stating that it “confirms the massive psychological damage in Israeli society, highlighting the collapse of social and family cohesion among Israelis as they experience these circumstances for the first time in decades.”
The results also revealed that a quarter of the wives estimate that their marital relationships will be complicated and filled with gaps at the end of the war.
According to the survey, 40% believe that they may seek treatment for their husbands after military service, and nearly a third see the possibility of deciding to separate or divorce from occupation soldiers.
More than 20% in the survey believe that they should emotionally detach from their husbands to avoid being affected by the situation.
Violation of marriage and a tool for helplessness
The research center, The Brain Pool, quoted Ziv Horvitz, a marriage counselor, saying that the prolonged reserve service in the army violates the unwritten agreement that usually governs the relationship between spouses.
Horvitz added that this agreement includes defining each spouse’s roles at home, how to make each other happy, and setting boundaries for each person.
The counselor described the extended reserve service as opening the door to feelings of loneliness and anxiety, and above all, the helplessness and lack of choice in the marriage relationship.
From a forum dedicated to reserve soldiers’ wives, Shani Nativ Bar commented, “More than 100 days of fighting, and each of the spouses is experiencing a different war: a war in the field in Gaza and another war on the home front. Conflicts between spouses become intense and unavoidable when they reunite under one roof after a long time.”