The Israeli army has reported a sharp increase in the number of suicides since the start of the war in Gaza, adding that thousands of soldiers have stopped serving in combat roles due to mental distress. The trend has led the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to adopt new preventive measures 15 months into a conflict that has mobilised hundreds of thousands of reservists.
Issued on: 03/01/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: Anaelle JONAH
Israeli army soldiers stand guard as Israeli Jewish settlers tour the old market in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on December 28, 2024. © Hazem Bader, AFP
The Israeli army said Thursday that 28 soldiers had taken their own lives since the start of the war, marking the highest toll in 13 years and raising concerns about a potential mental health crisis in the army. The IDF noted that these are "suspected" suicides, as all cases remain under investigation to this day.
In a casualty report for the past two years, the IDF said it recorded 21 suicides in 2024, up from 17 the year before – including 10 that occurred before the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants that triggered the war.
The increase was most notable when compared to previous years, with 14 suspected suicides in 2022 and 11 in 2021.
More than half of suicide cases last year involved reservists, a figure attributed to the surge in the number of reservists called up since the war began 15 months ago.
The IDF also reported that thousands of reservist soldiers had stopped serving in combat roles due to mental distress.
The Israeli army said Thursday that 28 soldiers had taken their own lives since the start of the war, marking the highest toll in 13 years and raising concerns about a potential mental health crisis in the army. The IDF noted that these are "suspected" suicides, as all cases remain under investigation to this day.
In a casualty report for the past two years, the IDF said it recorded 21 suicides in 2024, up from 17 the year before – including 10 that occurred before the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants that triggered the war.
The increase was most notable when compared to previous years, with 14 suspected suicides in 2022 and 11 in 2021.
More than half of suicide cases last year involved reservists, a figure attributed to the surge in the number of reservists called up since the war began 15 months ago.
The IDF also reported that thousands of reservist soldiers had stopped serving in combat roles due to mental distress.
'Each loss is one too many'
Overall fatalities seemingly decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 363 soldiers killed compared to 558 in 2023.
Operational activities accounted for 295 deaths in 2024. Additionally, 23 soldiers died in various accidents, including road incidents, and 11 were killed in terrorist attacks or enemy assaults.
“The State of Israel has experienced great loss. Each person is a world unto themselves, and each loss is one too many. (...) We will do everything possible to minimise these painful cases,” said Brigadier-General Amir Vadmani, from the military's human resources department, in a press release.
In response to the rising suicide rates, the IDF said it adopted several measures aimed at prevention and support.
A 24/7 mental health support hotline has been established, alongside an increase in the number of mental health officers and their availability. The army said it also opened a dedicated clinic for regular service members and expended care for combat trauma responses to discharged soldiers.
Growing distrust
In 2021, the IDF claimed to have reduced suicides by 75 percent through prevention programs, though the accuracy of such figures has been questioned before.
That same year, Professor Tamar Hermann of the Israel Democracy Institute told the Knesset Subcommittee for Personnel in the IDF she was “surprised by the information presented concerning prevention and response efforts on the part of the IDF, considering the lack of public trust in the IDF on the issue”.
Surveys conducted by the institute revealed that public trust in the IDF's suicide reporting dropped from 46 percent in 2020 to 38 percent in 2021. Distrust was particularly pronounced among younger Israelis, with only 29 percent of those aged 18–24 expressing trust in the IDF on the issue, compared to 44 percent of those aged 55 and older.
The IDF has historically reported lower suicide rates compared to the general population in Israel and other militaries globally.
The US military has seen more than four times as many deaths by suicide as in combat in post-9/11 operations, according to a study by Brown University's Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs. A 2024 report by the Pentagon showed that American soldiers are nearly nine times more likely to die by suicide than they are in combat.
In total, the IDF has reported the deaths of 891 soldiers across regular, permanent and reserve service, with 5,569 others injured since the start of the ongoing war, which was sparked by Hamas-led militants’ October 7, 2023 attack into Israel.
The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted approximately 250. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least a third believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 45,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Half of the casualties are reported to be women and children.
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