Israeli media: 1600 Israeli soldiers traumatized, in need of treatment

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
3 Jan 2024 14:03
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Israeli media reports that 90 soldiers were discharged for being unfit for service due to psychological issues.

Israeli soldiers cry during the funeral of an Israeli sergeant in a kibbutz, October 23, 2023. (AP)

Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, quoted sources in the Israeli Occupation Forces stating that around 1600 soldiers have suffered from symptoms of distress and shell shock since the beginning of the war on Gaza.

Some of them have been treated by specialized teams within the IOF. Meanwhile, 90 were discharged as being unfit for service due to psychological difficulties.

Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed two days ago an increase in psychological challenges among Israelis, amid the ongoing Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Israeli Emotional First Aid Association Eran received 100,000 requests for psychological assistance from various groups and ages.

This phenomenon is not limited to settlers but also includes Israeli soldiers who participated in the ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli Channel 12 reported that one soldier woke up terrified due to a nightmare and fired shots at the wall of the room where he was sleeping, resulting in injuries to several Israeli soldiers.

'Israel' experiencing mental health crisis: Reports

Israeli media reported a surge in mental health disorders among Israeli settlers in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, noting that Israeli reports of psychological breakdowns are on the rise.

ERAN, "Israel's Emotional first aid service", reported a spike in demand for psychological and PTSD treatment among Israelis, reaching 100,000 requests.

In the same context, Israeli newspaper Maariv clarified that the requests were recorded for various categories and age groups.

The director of the association, David Korn, stated that the ERAN centers had never before witnessed such a large influx of calls since their establishment, noting that the teams in the centers dealing with mental health issues are also experiencing a psychological crisis. He pointed out that such psychological disorders will be long-term for Israelis, confirming a significant decline in their sense of "security."

This comes as Israeli psychologists criticized the Israeli Health Ministry's strategy to "ease" the mental health crisis by "appointing underqualified mental health supporters to help meet the expected spike in demand for psychological and PTSD treatment", as per Haaretz.

Israelis' mental health worse than ever since October 7: Gallup poll

On December 23, a poll conducted by Gallup showed that "the mental health of Israelis is worse than ever" in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

According to Gallup, in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 operation, Israelis’ emotional health is worse than ever, stating that "record-high majorities of Israelis now say they experienced worry (67%), stress (62%), and sadness (51%) during much of the previous day. More than a third (36%) also report experiencing a lot of anger."

"Israel" currently holds a record number of 47 in the Gallup index of negative experiences. Since the inception of the global poll in 2006, no other "country" has seen such a substantial annual increase in negative experiences.