Israel/Palestine

Is an Israeli source acceptable ?

2 January 2025 :
IDF suicide rate rises amid ongoing war and mass reservist call-ups

28 soldiers have taken their lives since Oct. 7, 2023, compared to some 25 in all of 2021-2022; overall deaths are the highest in decades, with hundreds killed in Gaza and Lebanon

Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suicide-rate-rises-amid-ongoing-war-and-mass-reservist-call-ups/

3 August 2025
IDF suicides tied to combat trauma, internal probes said to reveal

Military steps up mental health care as Personnel Directorate chief visits reservist soldier’s grieving family

Most recent suicides among Israeli soldiers were driven by psychological trauma from the ongoing war, including prolonged deployments in combat zones, witnessing harrowing scenes and the loss of friends, according to the findings of internal military investigations published in a Sunday report.

“Most of the suicides resulted from the complex reality created by the war. War has consequences,” a senior Israel Defense Forces official told the Kan public broadcaster, underscoring the link between combat exposure and the rising number of self-inflicted deaths.

In response to the findings, the IDF said that it was drawing systemic conclusions and stepping up its mental health measures. The military is reportedly expanding training for commanders to help them detect signs of distress in their troops, while also significantly increasing the number of mental health officers — by 200 for active-duty soldiers and 600 for reservists, on top of the roughly 1,000 already serving since the start of the war.

According to figures cited by Channel 12 last Monday, at least 17 soldiers have died by suicide so far in 2025 — a figure that does not include reservists not on active duty at the time of their deaths, such as Roi Wasserstein. His case has ignited a public debate over how the military recognizes and supports mental health struggles among discharged and reserve soldiers.

Although the IDF publishes official suicide data only once a year, the reported numbers point to a troubling continuation of last year’s rise in such deaths. In 2024, 21 soldiers died by suicide — the highest annual toll in over a decade. In 2023, the figure stood at 17, including seven following Hamas’s October 7 assault, most of them reservists.

Continued @ https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suicides-tied-to-combat-trauma-internal-probes-said-to-reveal/