Over 30,000 ‘Israeli’ soldiers suffer from PTSD amid massive surge in cases

An ‘Israeli’ government committee called for sweeping reforms to ‘Israel’s’ trauma and rehabilitation system to address the needs of a massive number of soldiers suffering from “emotional trauma and psychological injuries.”

According to a report by The Jerusalem Post citing the committee, that number stands at 31,000, and is projected to increase to 50,000 by around 2028.

The committee is already preparing for the figure to grow significantly as more soldiers and reservists come forward, and the long-term effects of the war become clearer.

Chaired by Professor Shlomo Mor Yosef, the committee issued its first report recommending the creation of a new independent authority to better handle the surge in mental health cases, amid what officials describe as one of the largest increases in casualties and trauma in ‘Israel’s’ history.

The recommendations come as the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department projects it will treat around 100,000 wounded personnel by 2028, with roughly half — about 50,000 — expected to require care for psychological trauma, including PTSD.

Currently, tens of thousands of wounded are already in the system, a significant portion with mental health issues.

Sharp Rise in Emotional Trauma Claims

The scale of the crisis is evident in the numbers. Total claims for harm have reached 87,000, with around 31,000 involving emotional trauma and PTSD.

Of roughly 25,000 claims filed related to the wars since October 2023, about 50% include emotional trauma — a dramatic increase from the roughly 15% seen in previous conflicts.

Many of these cases involve reservists (around 64% of claimants) and older soldiers, with approximately 12,500 claimants (50%) above age 30 and about 2,000 women among them.