More and more Israeli soldiers who have finished serving on the frontlines in Gaza are developing major trauma from the fighting, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of the soldiers are so traumatized that they are attempting or committing suicide.
Recent reports from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicate that the military is providing mental health care for thousands of soldiers who are suffering from PTSD or other mental illnesses caused by trauma from their service in the war.
Many IDF soldiers who finished their initial tour of duty in Gaza have reported to media outlets that they are suffering from trauma due to the "horrors" they witnessed while serving in Gaza. Their accounts go into detail regarding the brutality of what critics have called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "forever war" in Gaza, and highlight the massive toll it takes on the mental health of the soldiers who participated in the conflict. (Related: More and more Israeli soldiers becoming DISABLED as Gaza conflict drags on.)
Parents and family members of IDF veterans are warning that mental health professionals in the country are not properly able to help soldiers, who come to them with experiences that are so different from what they are used to that these healthcare workers are left shocked by what they hear.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Department noted that every month, over 1,000 IDF troops are wounded and taken off the frontlines. Around 35 percent of them report complaints about their mental state, and 27 percent of those develop "a mental reaction" or PTSD.
By the end of the year, the department expects to admit 14,000 wounded soldiers, and around 40 percent of them are expected to deal with mental health issues.
Guy Zaken, who served as a combat engineer in Gaza, spoke publicly about the psychological trauma endured by troops.
In Zaken's testimony to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, he noted how Gaza's streets would be littered with so many bodies that, on many occasions, he and other soldiers who drive military vehicles had to "run over" Palestinians, "dead and alive, in the hundreds."
As a result of his experiences, Zaken can no longer eat meat, as it reminds him too much of the scenes he witnessed while driving in Gaza. He also struggles to sleep at night and constantly hears explosions ringing in his head.
Israeli soldiers choosing suicide over redeployment
One of the IDF soldiers notable in the past few months for his severe case of PTSD was Eliran Mizrahi, a 40-year-old father of four.
Mizrahi was deployed to southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, immediately in response to the Hamas-led attack due to his status as a military reservist. He was assigned to help clear out the bodies of Israelis and Palestinians alike before being sent into Gaza where he served as a combat engineer.
Eliran served for 186 days in Gaza until he sustained injuries to his knee and hearing damage from a rocket-propelled grenade blast. He was discharged and, in April, began receiving treatment for PTSD.
Despite being recognized as a disabled IDF veteran who was diagnosed with PTSD, he received orders to report for duty and return to Gaza. He took his own life two days before he was meant to redeploy.
"He got out of Gaza, but Gaza did not get out of him," said Eliran's mother, Jenny.
"He had rockets fired at him, he saw his friends die and he brought bodies back, and he still did everything for Israel," said Eliran's sister, Hila, who added that he had "gone through hell" in Gaza and refused to discuss his experiences from the war with family.
The IDF has refused to provide an official figure of how many IDF veterans have taken their own lives due to trauma from the war. Eliran's case might not have received national attention had his family not spoken to the media in a public campaign to allow Eliran to be buried with military honors – which the family finally got in June after months of heavy campaigning and consultations with senior government and IDF officials.
Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, predicts that Israel's aggression against its neighbors will lead to its destruction.
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