MILITARY SUICIDES INCREASE AMID REDUCED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IN ISRAELI ARMY: REPORT

Wed 29 April 2026:

Number of suicides climbed to 21 in 2024, and 22 in 2025, highest figure in 15 years, according to local media report citing data

Military suicides are rising in Israel amid a reduction in mental health support for soldiers, according to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday.

At least 10 active-duty Israeli soldiers have died by suicide since the beginning of 2026, including six cases recorded in April alone, the report said.

It added that three reservists who had served during the war also died by suicide this month after completing their service, alongside two police officers, including a conscripted Border Police officer.

The data “points to a continued rise in suicides within the defense establishment,” a trend that began following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, it noted.

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A senior official in the Israeli army’s Manpower Directorate acknowledged difficulties in addressing the issue, saying: “At the beginning of the war, we thought we had the situation under control … and it blew up in our faces.”

Army sources cited prolonged fighting and the cumulative psychological burden on a relatively small number of service members as key factors behind the increase.

Some officials also linked the spike in April to “Memorial Day” events and the heightened focus on bereavement, though mental health experts questioned that explanation, noting that similar patterns were not observed in previous years.

Activists working with soldiers suffering from military-related psychological injuries told Haaretz that the scope of mental health support has declined, “despite the army’s public claims to the contrary.”

They pointed to the cancellation earlier this year of psychological debriefing days for reservists before returning to civilian life, a measure that was later only partially reinstated.

“It’s simply irresponsible to send us home like this,” one soldier said, criticizing the lack of adequate support after deployment.

Reserve mental health officers also warned that even when such debriefings take place, they are often brief and insufficient, with one officer describing them as “a bit like putting a band aid on a bleeding main artery.”

The report further highlighted a decline in the presence of mental health officers in operational areas, with some soldiers saying they had not met any professionals even after being involved in combat incidents in southern Lebanon.

In several cases, commanders pressured soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to return to duty and even prevented them from receiving mental health treatment, partly due to manpower shortages in combat units and, in some instances, due to outdated attitudes toward psychological care.

A former head of the clinical branch of mental health in the army warned that “at least some of them could have been saved if commanders had paid attention to warning signs,” adding: “This is no longer just a warning. It is a real alarm.”

Data cited by Haaretz shows a significant increase compared to pre-war years, when the annual average stood at around 12 suicides. The number rose to seven between October and the end of 2023, then climbed to 21 in 2024 and 22 in 2025, marking the highest figure in 15 years.

The figures do not include soldiers who died by suicide after completing their service, suggesting the overall toll may be higher. The army has only recently begun acknowledging such cases following media reports and public pressure.

Among the cases cited were soldiers exposed to intense combat conditions, including reservists who served for extended periods in Gaza and were later diagnosed with PTSD, as well as drone operators and intelligence personnel who reportedly struggled with the psychological toll of their roles.

In response, the Israeli army said it views mental health as “an integral part of its responsibility,” noting that it has expanded its mental health system, recruited hundreds of professionals, and deployed them across operational sectors since the start of the war.

It added that emotional support and debriefing processes are provided to “tens of thousands” of service members and that each suicide case is thoroughly examined to draw lessons for the future.

-Source: AA

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