The War After the War

For many Israeli soldiers, returning home does not necessarily mean leaving the war behind. Combat exposure, repeated reserve duty, the deaths of fellow soldiers and prolonged separation from civilian life can continue to affect soldiers long after deployment ends.

Nearly three years after October 7, growing concern over post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide within the IDF has raised serious questions about whether the military’s mental health system is equipped to respond to the long-term consequences of prolonged war.

The available statistics are deeply concerning. According to a July 2026 Haaretz report, at least 16 active-duty soldiers had died by suicide since the beginning of the year, while at least nine additional soldiers who had served during the war died by suicide after completing active service. The same report cited military data showing 21 suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2024 and 22 in 2025, the highest figure in 15 years. A Knesset Research and Information Center report further found that 279 IDF soldiers attempted suicide between January 2024 and July 2025, approximately 7 attempts for every recorded suicide during that period. Combat soldiers accounted for 78% of suicide cases in 2024, compared with 42-45% between 2017 and 2022.

The Knesset report cautioned that suicide is complex and cannot automatically be attributed to military service or PTSD. It also noted that large-scale reserve mobilization after October 7 changed the size and composition of the IDF, making direct comparisons between years difficult without corresponding personnel data. Nevertheless, internal IDF investigations reported by The Times of Israel found that many recent suicides were linked to war-related psychological trauma, including prolonged deployments, exposure to traumatic scenes and the deaths of fellow soldiers.

Research on PTSD suggests that psychological distress affects a much larger population than suicide statistics alone indicate. A Tel Aviv University study reported by The Times of Israel in May 2025 found that approximately 12% of discharged soldiers surveyed showed significant post-traumatic symptoms. Professor Yair Bar-Haim, head of the university’s National Center for Trauma and Resilience, described the situation as a mental health emergency and called for long-term solutions, including expanded therapist training and regional trauma and PTSD clinics. The study also found that symptoms increased with continued military exposure and could worsen after discharge.

The IDF has taken steps to respond. According to The Times of Israel, more than 1,000 mental health professionals have been deployed across active-duty and reserve units, including in combat zones. Each brigade has reportedly been assigned a dedicated mental health officer, while a 24-hour hotline, psychological first aid and specialized treatment programs have also been made available. These measures reflect the military’s efforts to respond to the growing mental health burden. However, increasing the number of services does not necessarily ensure that soldiers will use them.

A major concern is the gap between soldiers experiencing symptoms and those seeking treatment. A peer-reviewed study by Ofir Levi and colleagues following IDF veterans of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War found that treatment-seeking was significantly lower than the estimated prevalence of PTSD and related symptoms. The researchers estimated a service gap of between 3 to 11 percentage points and concluded that greater efforts were needed to reduce barriers to care. More recent Knesset data adds to this concern: only 17% of soldiers who died by suicide in 2024 through July 2025 had met with a mental health officer in the two months before their deaths.

Levi and his colleagues specifically identified stigma as a barrier to treatment and noted that military personnel often report more psychological symptoms anonymously than through official assessments. Their findings suggest that some soldiers may feel uncomfortable disclosing distress through formal channels, even when services are available.

This concern is particularly relevant in a military environment where resilience, strength and the ability to continue functioning under pressure are highly valued. Those qualities are central to military service, but researchers have warned that stigma surrounding psychological treatment may discourage some soldiers from acknowledging symptoms or seeking professional help. The same study concluded that reducing barriers to care, including stigma, is an important part of addressing the difference between those experiencing serious symptoms and those receiving treatment.

The IDF has also increasingly acknowledged that the psychological effects of military service can continue after active duty ends. New guidelines introduced in late 2025 established a process for examining suicides that may have been linked to service-related trauma after discharge. The military committee behind the recommendations recognized that battlefield trauma can lead to long-term psychological difficulties and proposed a two-year period in which families could seek recognition of a suicide as connected to military service.

No single statistic can fully explain the mental health consequences of prolonged war, and the available data has important limitations. Still, findings from the Knesset, the IDF and academic researchers point to a significant and continuing psychological burden among soldiers and veterans. As the effects of war continue beyond the battlefield and beyond active service, PTSD, suicide prevention and long-term mental health care will remain significant challenges for the IDF and Israeli society.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7656108/pdf/nihms-1641813.pdf
https://www.timesofisrael.com/study-12-of-reserve-soldiers-report-ptsd-symptoms-after-gaza-combat-service/
https://israelforever.org/interact/blog/why_israels_idf_soldier_suffer_from_ptsd_less_than_american_counterparts/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5329921/pdf/40696_2014_Article_10.pdf
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-07-29/ty-article/.premium/two-female-israeli-soldiers-die-by-suicide-as-idf-mental-health-crisis-deepens/0000019f-aa01-d993-af9f-ba57757d0000
https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/mmm/soldier%20suicides%20and%20suicide%20attempts%20(Introduction%20and%20Abstract).pdf
https://www.atlantajewishtimes.com/trauma-of-gaza-war-leads-to-76-soldiers-suicides/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/279-idf-soldiers-attempted-suicide-since-start-of-2024-knesset-report-finds/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suicides-tied-to-combat-trauma-internal-probes-said-to-reveal/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/concerns-deepen-over-militarys-mental-health-system-after-series-of-soldier-suicides/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-enact-new-guidelines-for-recognizing-suicides-linked-to-military-service/