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suicide in IDF

Discharged IDF combat soldier Alex Miller (Courtesy)
May 24, 2026, 4:44 pm
Discharged IDF soldier from US dies of apparent suicide after struggling with PTSD
Alex Miller, 23, was moderately wounded in a 2022 car-ramming attack, lost close friend in 2025 Gaza combat; as an only child, required special permission to enlist
By Stav Levaton and ToI Staff
Illustrative: Supreme Court President Isaac Amit (center), together with Deputy President Noam Sohlberg (left) and Justice David Mintz, preside over a hearing on petitions against the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet, November 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
January 7, 2026, 12:20 pm
Families of soldiers who died by suicide petition High Court for IDF recognition
Petitioners challenge committee ruling, saying mental wounds deserve the same acknowledgment as physical injuries and that combat trauma continues after uniforms come off
By Stav Levaton
Family and friends attend the funeral of reservist soldier Roi Wasserstein, who took his own life after 300 days of reserve duty, at the cemetery in Netanya, August 1, 2025. (Tal Gal/Flash90)
December 30, 2025, 8:27 pm
IDF to enact new guidelines for recognizing suicides linked to military service
Defense Ministry will decide on a case-by-case basis whether circumstances of a suicide are linked to trauma from military service, and will increase support for victims’ families
By Stav Levaton
Vital Mishayev, in an undated photo. The former police officer, diagnosed with PTSD, self-immolated in October 2025 and died the following month. (X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
November 12, 2025, 6:08 pm
Ex-cop with PTSD dies two weeks after self-immolating outside defense official’s home
Vital Mishayev, 46, was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate PTSD in 2013 but demanded recognition as fully disabled; his case shines light on servicemembers’ mental health struggles
By Charlie Summers and ToI Staff
IDF forces operate in the Gaza Strip in this October 9, 2025, handout image. (IDF)
October 28, 2025, 5:08 pm
279 IDF soldiers attempted suicide since start of 2024, Knesset report finds
Combat soldiers made up 78% of all suicide cases in Israel in 2024, a sharp rise from 2017-22, when the rate hovered between 42% and 45%
By Stav Levaton
Former Israeli soldiers suffering from PTSD attend a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 15, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
October 22, 2025, 10:22 am
Invisible wounds haunt IDF’s Gaza veterans as war triggers wave of psychological suffering
Army tracks dozens of suicides, thousands of requests for recognition of mental illness over two-year war; PTSD sufferers keep up encampment outside Knesset
By AFP and ToI Staff
Former soldiers who are suffering from PTSD speak during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting, August 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
September 15, 2025, 7:24 pm
In cry for help, combat vets toss piles of pills at Knesset meeting on suicide
Veterans complain government has not done enough to tackle rising suicide rates among those with post-traumatic stress. Defense Ministry acknowledges ‘significant gaps’
By Sam Sokol
Israeli flags on graves of fallen soldiers in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem ahead of Israeli Memorial Day, April 29, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
August 3, 2025, 7:35 pm
IDF suicides tied to combat trauma, internal probes said to reveal
Military steps up mental health care as Personnel Directorate chief visits reservist soldier’s grieving family
By Stav Levaton and Emanuel Fabian
Roi Wasserstein. (Courtesy)
July 31, 2025, 9:30 pm
Reservist medic dies by suicide, prompting IDF to reassess casualty recognition
Family of Roi Wasserstein says trauma from battlefield cost him his life months later; military to weigh legislative reforms
By Stav Levaton and Emanuel Fabian
IDF soldiers embrace at the funeral of reservist Tzvika Lavi at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, December 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 30, 2025, 8:45 pm
IDF to begin discharging traumatized reservists amid growing mental health concerns
New policy applies to soldiers with 30% or higher state-recognized psychological disability; officials deny link to recent rise in suicides
By Stav Levaton
Reservist Ariel Meir Taman is seen in an undated photo. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
July 28, 2025, 5:50 pm
Reservist who identified bodies after Oct. 7 found dead in suspected suicide
Master Sgt. (res.) Ariel Meir Taman, who served in Military Rabbinate, is survived by wife and 4 children; Knesset Defense Committee urged to discuss rise in IDF suicides amid war
By Stav Levaton and ToI Staff
IDF soldiers hold a wreath at the funeral of soldier Ron Sherman at the Lehavim cemetery, December 15, 2023. (Flash90)
July 23, 2025, 8:04 am
Concerns deepen over military’s mental health system after series of soldier suicides
As lawmakers demand transparency from the IDF, experts urge deeper understanding of war’s psychological toll on troops
By Stav Levaton
Cpl. Dan Phillipson, who apparently died by suicide (Courtesy)
July 20, 2025, 4:53 pm
IDF lone soldier from Norway dies from gunshot wounds in apparent suicide
Israeli host father describes in-training paratrooper Cpl. Dan Phillipson as ‘disciplined, outstanding’ soldier who had wanted to enlist since high school
By Emanuel Fabian
Undated photo of Daniel Edri. (Courtesy: Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
July 7, 2025, 11:09 am
Family demands PTSD sufferer who took his life be recognized as fallen soldier
Daniel Edri served as reservist in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon; mother describes his descent into self-harm and suicidal thoughts, pans authorities for not saving him
By ToI Staff
IDF troops operate in northern Gaza, in a handout photo issued on May 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
May 19, 2025, 8:42 pm
Reservists being called up despite recognized mental wounds, including PTSD — report
Haaretz identifies 2 reservists with trauma diagnoses who died by suicide after being called up; report blasts ‘Kafkaesque’ lack of coordination between Defense Ministry and IDF
By ToI Staff
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