Psychological Collapse of the Zionist Army: 43 Soldiers Commit Suicide Since Start of Gaza War

Kokcha News Agency: Zionist sources have acknowledged the severe psychological toll the Gaza war has taken on their soldiers, with 43 military personnel committing suicide since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. According to Al Jazeera, the latest suicide was that of Daniel Edri, a 24-year-old soldier responsible for transporting the bodies of soldiers killed on the fronts in Lebanon and Gaza, who took his own life due to the psychological trauma he endured.

The Zionist newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli army, facing a shortage of personnel, is recruiting reservists suffering from mental illnesses to fight in Gaza. The newspaper stated that the Israeli army is calling up soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the increasing number of suicides and the lack of manpower.

In late June, the Zionist regime’s Ministry of Internal Security announced that 9,000 soldiers had become psychologically disabled since October 7, 2023. The Israeli army has not disclosed the exact number of soldiers who have committed suicide this year and has reportedly buried many soldiers without military ceremonies since the start of the Gaza war.

A Zionist soldier revealed that army commanders have given psychologically traumatized soldiers two options: suicide or desertion. A military commander told Haaretz that thousands of reserve soldiers in Gaza have sought help for mental health issues, adding, “We are forced to send people to the battlefield who are not in a normal psychological state. We are forced to recruit people who suffer from mental illnesses and are even undergoing treatment. We are afraid to conduct psychological evaluations on our soldiers because we might end up with no army left.”

Earlier, the Zionist network Kan reported that the Israeli army has recruited 800 psychiatrists and established psychological counseling centers to address this crisis. According to the network, these counseling centers had received over 3,900 calls from soldiers contemplating suicide by late December 2023.

Meanwhile, Palestinian military and strategic expert General Wasfi Areeqat highlighted the chaotic state of the Zionist army in Gaza, pointing to the declining morale of soldiers and officers as the war with Palestinian resistance continues. He stated that the army’s confusion and lack of clear objectives reflect the deteriorating mental state of its personnel amid ongoing field battles with Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.

Areeqat added, “The Israeli army is terrified on the battlefield. Seventy-two soldiers have been killed not in direct confrontations with resistance forces but in what are called ‘operational incidents,’ and 31 of them were killed by friendly fire. These statistics reveal the chaotic state and psychological collapse that Israeli soldiers are grappling with.”

As criticism of the ongoing Gaza war intensifies, opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuse him of sacrificing soldiers and Israeli captives to maintain his ruling coalition while opposing the conscription of extremist Jews.

Yair Lapid, a member of the Knesset and leader of the opposition, stated, “Netanyahu is sending our soldiers to their deaths in Khan Younis and Jenin while opposing the conscription of extremist Jews.”

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, added, “The Israeli soldiers killed in recent months have become victims of the ruling coalition’s survival.” He also accused the Israeli cabinet of obstructing efforts to reach an agreement for the release of captives.

Lieberman emphasized, “The army’s request to recruit 54,000 soldiers will never change the reality. The army must act decisively to end the Gaza war.”

Yair Golan, head of the so-called “Democratic” party of the Zionist regime, stated, “Netanyahu opposes ending the war and wants to pay the price of his survival with the blood of others.” He added, “Netanyahu will never defeat Hamas and is destroying Israel.”