PTSD cases surge among ‘Israeli’ soldiers: Reports

• Post-traumatic stress disorder cases among ‘Israeli’ soldiers have risen forty percent since October 2023, with projections of a sharp increase by 2028.
• Mental health providers warn of growing suicide risks as treatment systems struggle to cope with demand.

Post-traumatic stress disorder cases among ‘Israeli’ army soldiers have increased by 14 percent since ‘Israel’ launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, according to recent reports from the ‘Israeli’ Defense Ministry.

The ministry estimates that the figure could rise by as much as 180 percent by 2028. It says that 16 percent of the 22,300 ‘Israeli’ soldiers currently receiving treatment for war-related injuries are suffering from PTSD.

Read more: ‘Israeli’ soldier dies by apparent suicide due to PTSD: reports

Maccabi, ‘Israel’s’ second-largest health care provider, said in its 2025 annual report that thirty-nine percent of soldiers treated by the organization requested psychological support, while 26 percent reported concerns related to depression.

Several ‘Israeli’ organizations have received hundreds of active-duty and reserve soldiers diagnosed with PTSD. Some former soldiers have turned to specially trained support dogs to help manage psychological and emotional distress.

War toll and lasting impact

The genocidal war has resulted in the martyrdom of more than 71,000 Palestinians and injuries to at least 171,000 others. Most of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, leaving nearly two million residents facing acute shortages of shelter, food, and health care.

Psychiatrist Ronen Sidi, who oversees veteran research at the ‘Israeli’ Emek Medical Center, attributes the rise in psychological disorders to what he describes as “extreme fear experiences” and a constant “fear of death” during deployments in Gaza, Lebanon, or even inside ‘Israel’.

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One ‘Israeli’ soldier who fought in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria told Reuters that he quit his job as a project manager at a global company because the sound of gunfire “stayed above my head” long after returning from combat. “I live in a constant state of alert,” he said. “I live like this every day.”

Suicide attempts raise alarm

Specialists say soldiers seeking psychological treatment must undergo a Defense Ministry evaluation, a process that can take months and may discourage some from asking for help.

A Knesset committee concluded in October that 279 soldiers attempted suicide between January 2024 and July 2025, a sharp increase compared with previous years. The committee found that combat soldiers accounted for 78 percent of suicide cases in ‘Israel’ in 2024.

A separate report published by the ‘Israeli’ newspaper Haaretz said twenty-two soldiers died by suicide in 2025, the highest number since 2010, when twenty-eight soldiers took their lives following Operation Cast Lead on Gaza.

Sidi warned that the risk of suicide or self-harm increases significantly when trauma goes untreated. He said that since October seventh, mental health institutions in ‘Israel’ have become overwhelmed.

“Many people cannot access treatment, or they do not even realize that the distress they feel is connected to what they experienced,” he said.

Tensions persist

The ‘Israeli’ army continues military operations through near-daily violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

With US President Donald Trump threatening military strikes on Iran, ‘Israel’ is also bracing for the possibility of another confrontation with Tehran, months after a twelve-day war between the two sides in June 2025.