Israeli soldiers responsible for the deaths of unarmed Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are increasingly facing psychological challenges, resulting in a rising trend of suicides among them.
According to a CNN report, those who have bombed innocent civilians in Gaza cannot evade the weight of their actions.
Although soldiers may physically leave Gaza after their missions, the trauma and memories continue to haunt them.
Upon returning home from service in Gaza and surrounding areas, many Israeli soldiers find themselves struggling with psychological disorders.
The burden of having directly contributed to the deaths of innocent children and women eats away at them internally.
Eliran Mizrahi, a 40-year-old father of four, was called up for military service following the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and was deployed to Gaza.
After participating in military operations there, he returned home profoundly changed.
The devastation he witnessed in Gaza shattered him emotionally. Within six months, he was so internally fractured that he took his own life before being called back for duty.
Eliran’s mother, Jeni Mizrahi, remarked that while he had physically left Gaza, its memories lingered within him.
This issue extends beyond Eliran; the Israeli army is offering psychological support to thousands of soldiers battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Countless Israeli soldiers are grappling with severe mental distress. Guilt has enveloped their thoughts and emotions, causing them to become increasingly troubled day and night. Accepting “credit” for the deaths of unarmed civilians, particularly women and children, has become a source of deep anguish for them.
This has emerged as the longest conflict for the Israeli state.
The fighting in Gaza has persisted for a year, and the Israeli army is also now engaged in Lebanon. Many Israeli soldiers fear being drawn back into a conflict focused on targeting unarmed civilians.
An Israeli army doctor noted that most soldiers are no longer willing to endorse their government’s position as justified.
The Israeli government has placed a ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza to prevent global awareness of the atrocities occurring there. Nevertheless, information continues to surface.
The horrors inflicted on unarmed Palestinians by Israeli soldiers are now causing significant mental suffering for the soldiers themselves, leading them toward mental health issues and suicide.