Cost of Gaza genocide: Israeli troops afflicted with mental illness

At least six Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives in recent months, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth revealed, citing severe psychological distress caused by prolonged genocide in Gaza and war in southern Lebanon as the primary cause.

The investigation suggests the actual number of suicides may be higher, as the Israeli military has yet to release official figures, despite a promise to disclose them by the end of the year.

Friday's report highlights a broader mental health crisis within the Israeli army which is engaged in a mass slaughter of Palestinians and mass destruction in the besieged Palestinian enclave for the last 413 days.

Since October 7 last year, Israeli military has wiped out families in Gaza, pulverised neighbourhoods, dug up mass graves, destroyed cemeteries, bombed shops and businesses, flattened hospitals and morgues, ran tanks and bulldozers on dead bodies, tortured jailed Palestinians with dogs and electricity, subjected detainees to mock executions, and even raped many Palestinians.

Exhibiting sadistic behaviour during the genocide, Israeli soldiers have taunted Palestinian prisoners by claiming they were playing football with their children's heads in Gaza.

Israeli troops have live streamed hundreds of videos of soldiers looting Palestinian homes, destroying children's beds, setting homes on fire and laughing, wearing undergarments of displaced Palestinians and stealing kids' toys.

In their mission to erase Palestine, Israeli troops have killed a record number of babies, medics, athletes, and journalists — unprecedented in any war in this century.

But now it's coming with a cost.

Thousands of soldiers have sought help from military mental health clinics or field psychologists, with approximately a third of those affected showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the investigation, the number of soldiers suffering psychological trauma may exceed those with physical wounds from the war.

The daily cites experts as saying the full extent of this mental health crisis will become clear once military invasion is over and troops return to normal life.

In March, Lucian Tatsa-Laur, head of the Israeli military's mental health department, told Haaretz that approximately 1,700 soldiers had received psychological treatment.

Multiple reports have since emerged indicating that thousands of troops are suffering from mental health issues owing to extended deployments in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Second year of genocide in Gaza

Regional tension has escalated due to Israel's genocide in Gaza, in which Israeli military has killed over 44,000 people, mostly women and children, wounded more than 104,000 and uprooted almost all 2.4 million Palestinians.

Many analysts say the reported death toll is a conservative estimate.

A group of almost 100 American doctors who served in Gaza estimated a death toll of more than 118,000 in October 2024. And, according to the UK medical journal The Lancet, the death toll could be more than 180,000.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with figures and institutions labelling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

In a landmark move, the International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for warmonger Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

The assault has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, killing over 3,640 people and wounding more than 15,355 since October 2023.