'Israeli' soldiers seek healing for "PTSD" through yoga: Hebrew media
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Dozens joined a yoga gathering in Tel Aviv on International Yoga Day and the summer solstice.
- Event was organized by Brothers in Yoga.
- Activists called it “wellness-washing” that overlooks civilian suffering in Gaza and Lebanon.
- Rights advocates cited disparities in access to mental health support.
Hebrew media reported that 'Israeli' soldiers are getting treatment for what they claim is "psychological trauma"
A high-profile wellness event took place on a luxury rooftop overlooking Tel Aviv. Dozens gathered for a trauma-sensitive yoga session organized by 'Brothers in Yoga,' a non-profit founded by Neta Margalit.
The initiative, heavily promoted in local media, aims to provide somatic healing to 'Israeli' soldiers allege to struggle with combat-induced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) stemming from recent operations and prior wars.
However, the image of soldiers engaging in mindfulness and spiritual healing against a serene city skyline has triggered intense global controversy.
Human rights defenders have sharply denounced the event, pointing out the stark cognitive dissonance of an occupying military seeking inner peace while simultaneously orchestrating campaigns that inflict catastrophic physical and psychological trauma on millions of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon.
Soldados sionistas organizaron una convención de yoga en "Israel", para tratar el trauma de haber asesinado a niños palestinos tras volver del genocidio en Gaza.
— Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski) June 24, 2026
Los jipis sionistas por la mañana hacen la postura del saludo al sol y por la tarde ametrallan a un niño de 4 años… pic.twitter.com/SrqvIE8emm
'Wellness-Washing', victimhood narrative
The controversy centers on what critics describe as a cynical effort to reframe active combatants -who wield advanced weaponry- as the primary victims of the conflict.
During the event, organizers and correspondents lamented the psychological toll on soldiers, explicitly blaming "the world's reaction to the war" for exacerbating their alleged PTSD.
To international observers, this framing shifts accountability away from the state's military actions and onto global public opinion.
Opponents argue that using yoga to rehabilitate troops so they can return to active combat zones is a perversion of the practice.
The 'Brothers in Yoga' initiative focuses heavily on the somatic connection, how the body stores trauma.
Yet, human rights organizations point out that the asymmetric distribution of this trauma is entirely ignored by such public relations campaigns.
While 'Israeli' soldiers receive structured psychiatric care, holistic therapies, and institutional support, the populations of Gaza and Lebanon are subjected to what psychologists call "continuous traumatic stress."
In Gaza, over two years of relentless bombardment have obliterated the mental health infrastructure entirely.
The event has ultimately intensified allegations of cultural and political double standards.
Human rights groups argue that campaigns centering on the mental health of soldiers serve to humanize the mechanisms of occupation while hiding the victims of that occupation from view.
By focusing the narrative on the emotional well-being of the forces causing the destruction, critics argue that the wellness industry is being co-opted to sanitize state violence, transforming a structural humanitarian crisis into a selective story of domestic resilience.
