From the battlefield to silent deaths: Israel’s suicide crisis deepens

Since the start of the Gaza war, suicide among Israeli soldiers has become a recurring phenomenon. On Monday, Hebrew media reported another suicide: a soldier from the Golani Brigade took his own life at a military base in northern Israel (occupied Palestine).

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the soldier who committed suicide was a regular serviceman. His body was found at the base. The military police have opened an investigation into the incident, the results of which will later be submitted to the military prosecutor’s office.

The media outlet did not disclose further details about the soldier’s suicide or the name of the base where it occurred.

This incident comes about two weeks after the body of Yosef Haim, a young Israeli army officer, was discovered in a forest near Ramat Biriya in northern occupied Palestine.

Israeli Army Radio also reported that earlier, another soldier from the 401st Armored Brigade committed suicide after participating in the Gaza war.

Amid heavy military censorship imposed by the Israeli army on local media — preventing accurate publication of casualties — the Hebrew daily Haaretz revealed that in July alone, seven Israeli soldiers committed suicide. This prompted the Israeli army’s personnel department to form a committee to examine the level of psychological and social support provided to both reservists and regular forces.

According to research published last month, most of these suicides were linked to the harsh conditions soldiers endured during the war in Gaza.

The Hebrew outlet emphasized that since the start of 2025, 18 Israeli soldiers have committed suicide.

Meanwhile, Hebrew media also reported that more than 10,000 Israeli soldiers are currently receiving treatment for mental health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, only 3,769 of those suffering from PTSD are receiving specialized treatment.

Israeli officials acknowledge the crisis

Itamar Graf, Deputy Director-General and Head of Planning at Israel’s Ministry of War, addressed the suicide crisis, stating: “We have introduced measures to deal with suicide, and teams of psychotherapists have been formed to monitor soldiers’ cases. Unfortunately, there are still significant cases of suicide among Israeli forces, and we are witnessing an increase in this phenomenon. Every single suicide is a failure for us.”

The Hebrew website Walla reviewed suicide cases among Israeli soldiers and society, noting a worrying upward trend: 17 soldiers in 2023, 21 soldiers in 2024, and already 18 since the start of 2025.

On the other hand, the Hebrew website Shomrim reported that most of the soldiers who committed suicide in the past year were reservists. The army has downplayed the numbers, claiming that because the number of reservists called up since the war began nearly doubled, the suicide rate among them is not disproportionately high.

However, Professor Yossi Levy Blass, head of the Suicide Research Center at Ruppin University, warned that based on current data, a major wave of suicides in the Israeli army is on the horizon.

According to him: “After October 7, 2023, Israeli soldiers faced severe crises and realized they were confronting a much larger external enemy. Reservists have become highly vulnerable during this war and continue to struggle with PTSD. We will witness — during and even after this war — a major wave of suicides among them, because they cannot cope with the consequences of what they experienced.”