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Suicide cases soaring at alarming rate among Israeli troops, hit new record

Sunday, 25 December 2022 11:13 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 25 December 2022 11:16 AM ]

In this file picture, Israeli soldiers hold their weapons during clashes with Palestinian protesters during a demonstration against the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus. (Photo by Xinhua news agency)

A recent report has revealed that suicide cases among Israeli army personnel continue to increase at an alarming rate, with the latest figures causing serious concerns among the occupying regime’s top-ranking military and intelligence figures as they have established a new record.

According to a report published by the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, fourteen Israeli soldiers have taken their lives since the beginning of the current year, and the number marks a dramatic rise within the last five years.

The Israeli military recorded a total of 11 suicides for the whole of last year and nine cases in 2020.

Read more:

Israeli trooper takes own life near border with Gaza Strip

According to the Palestine Today news agency, suicide is still the leading cause of death within the ranks of the Israeli army in non-combat situations, and the number has soared dramatically in recent years.

Official data from the Information and Research Center of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) show that the Tel Aviv regime registers 500 suicides each year, 100 of which are among young people in the 15-24 age bracket.

Last May, the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Israel Hayom reported that a senior Israeli intelligence officer had taken his own life by jumping from a high building. Initial investigations concluded that the unnamed lieutenant decided to end his life due to personal problems.

The newspaper said there existed undeniable links between the lieutenant's suicide and what drove another Israeli intelligence officer to commit suicide inside a military prison last June.

Read more:

Disabled Israeli army veteran commits self-immolation

The Israeli officer was found in serious condition in his cell at the newly-opened Neve Tzedek prison on the night of May 16, 2021, and later pronounced dead in what military officials said was a suspected suicide.

Though an autopsy was performed, no official cause of death was determined.

The officer was described by people who worked with him as a computer prodigy.

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