News / Palestine

Number of Israeli soldiers seeking psychological support increases six-fold: Report

Monday, 22 July 2024 4:10 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 July 2024 4:10 PM ]

The file photo shows Israeli soldiers evacuating a wounded colleague into a military helicopter outside of the fence that separates the besieged Gaza Strip from the occupied territories.

The number of Israeli soldiers seeking psychological support has increased six-fold since the start of the regime’s barbarous campaign in Gaza in early October 2023.

According to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz on Monday, the regime's ministry for military affairs's helpline had noted a dramatic increase in distress calls from reservists and soldiers, along with their families.

Just last week, the hotline received four inquiries with suicidal characteristics that required the immediate intervention of the police, the report noted.

According to data by the NTL association which operates the helpline, between October 2022 and June 2023, before the war, the hotline was required to contact the police 35 times due to fear of suicide. A year later, the number jumped to 86 – a 145 percent increase.

The data shows that the number of references has also jumped six-fold compared to the time before the Israeli aggression in October and that in recent weeks the number of requests at night has doubled.

Israeli media have reported a surge in mental health disorders among settlers and soldiers following Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by the Palestinian resistance fighters in October last year.

Mental disorder makes Israeli settlers, soldiers suffer in wake of Al-Aqsa Storm: Report

Israel’s “emotional first aid service” recently announced a spike in demand for psychological treatment among Israelis.

Israel earlier this month set up a committee to meet the needs of soldiers suffering from mental health and psychological problems.

In April, the Israeli Mental Health Association revealed a staggering surge of 950% in the number of Israelis seeking psychological support since the commencement of the occupying regime's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli authorities recently said the number of disabled Israeli soldiers had surpassed the 70,000 mark for the first time.

On June 7, 2024, Israeli soldier Eliran Mizrahi took his own life after he was called back to war while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and two injuries.

According to recent research, over half a million Israelis are at risk of developing PTSD in the aftermath of the barbarous brutality in Gaza.

Similarly, a report by Bloomberg earlier revealed the rapidly increasing number of injuries among Israeli soldiers generates “invisible costs” for the military campaign in Gaza.

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