Two more Israeli soldiers commit suicide

Israel's Army Radio reported that a retired soldier, who had developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of taking part in the 2014 war, attempted to commit suicide after visiting a rehabilitation center in Haifa. While speaking with the security guards at the entrance, he poured a liquid on himself, climbed over the fence, and attacked the center's building, injuring his legs in the process.

The guards were able to detain and calm him at the scene. Police and Magen David Adom emergency services were called, and the individual was transferred to Rambam Hospital in Haifa for psychological evaluation.

The radio added that the individual is a 32-year-old retired soldier currently undergoing treatment in the rehabilitation division of Israel’s Ministry of Defense due to the mental trauma he suffered during the 2014 war.

At the same time, Israel’s national radio and television network revealed that a military doctor from the Israeli army committed suicide at her home last week.

According to the same outlet, the female military doctor had served for over 200 days in the war against Gaza. During her suicide attempt, she reportedly said that "the government had abandoned her."

The media did not disclose the method by which the doctor took her own life.

According to this report, the majority of recent suicide cases among Israeli soldiers are directly related to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The outlet emphasized that severe psychological stress, constant fatigue, and the traumatic experiences faced by soldiers on the battlefield have played a major role in the deterioration of their mental health. This has led to a worrying rise in suicide attempts, some of which have resulted in death, according to internal military investigations.

Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli army’s reserve soldiers’ mental health unit told The Jerusalem Post that the number of reservists seeking psychological counseling since the beginning of the Gaza war has increased from 270 per year to nearly 3,000 — representing a 1,000% rise in demand.