'Israel' admits 2 soldiers killed, 2 injured in Rafah, southern Gaza
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Two Israeli soldiers, including a company commander, have been killed in Rafah after a building collapsed on them.
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Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of a captain who was killed in Gaza, during his funeral in southern occupied Palestine, Monday, November 18, 2024. (AP)
Two Israeli occupation soldiers, including a company commander, were killed in southern Gaza, the Israeli military admitted on Tuesday.
According to an initial investigation, the soldiers, alongside others, had entered a building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, which later collapsed while they were inside. Both soldiers, including the company commander of the Engineering Corps' 7107th Battalion, were killed, while two others were injured.
This comes after the Department of Rehabilitation at the Israeli Security Ministry announced that more than 13,500 Israeli soldiers have been wounded throughout the war, 1,500 of whom have been injured twice.
Israeli media, citing data tallied by the government, reported that among the injured soldiers, 287 have head injuries, 87 of which are serious, and 10 are now using wheelchairs.
The department also stated that 37% of the wounded soldiers have injuries to their limbs, primarily bone fractures.
Additionally, approximately 5,200 soldiers are experiencing mental health issues, including 3,350 dealing with anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders, and 1,300 suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD, suicide: A common experience for troops in Gaza
PTSD, on the other hand, has ravaged through Israeli army ranks, with the Israeli occupation providing care for thousands of soldiers suffering from the disorder or mental health issues resulting from their experiences in the war on Gaza.
As of October, data showed that more than a third of IOF members who have been removed from combat suffer from mental health issues. The Israeli Ministry of Security's Rehabilitation Department noted that every month, over a thousand new soldiers are removed from combat for treatment, with 35% complaining about their mental state and 27% experiencing “a mental reaction or post-traumatic stress disorder.”
By the end of 2024, nearly 14,000 wounded Israeli soldiers are expected to receive treatment with 40% likely to face mental health issues. An IOF medic told CNN that some young soldiers experienced mental trauma and often cried or showed signs of emotional numbness.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that 10 soldiers took their own lives between October 7 and May 11, according to military data.
When CNN inquired about the number of suicides in the IOF since the war, Uzi Bechor, a psychologist and commander of the IOF’s Combat Response Unit, revealed it was not permitted to divulge such figures and claimed the suicide rate in the IOF was "stable".
