Why Are Traumatized Soldiers Sent Back to War? Shocking IDF Failure
Israel’s military is grappling with a suicide crisis as reservists with PTSD are recalled for duty amid poor coordination between the Defense Ministry and IDF. A recent investigation and Knesset hearing underscore the urgent need to address the mental health toll of the Gaza war, with rising suicides among soldiers.
On July 10, 2025, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened to address a deepening mental health crisis in the Israeli military, following revelations that hundreds, possibly thousands, of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been recalled for reserve duty despite documented psychological conditions.
The investigation, published on July 8, 2025, disclosed that since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, at least 35 active-duty soldiers have died by suicide, with several having pre-existing PTSD diagnoses. The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department has processed around 19,000 injured personnel since the war’s onset, including over 10,000 cases of PTSD and mental health issues, plus 7,500 psychological injuries from prior conflicts. The department supports 80,000 IDF veterans, with over 30,000 battling mental health challenges.
Director Guy Gilad highlighted the harm of recalling traumatized soldiers, stating, “It’s important to understand that an injured person with mental health issues who is called up for reserve duty stops the treatment continuum and his rehabilitation is harmed.” Since 2024, the Defense Ministry halted data sharing with the IDF, leaving commanders uninformed about soldiers’ mental health statuses, with partial transfers failing to clarify fitness for duty. This “horrendous” coordination failure has worsened the crisis. A Tel Aviv University study found 12% of reservists in the Gaza war show severe PTSD symptoms, rendering them unfit, yet many were among the tens of thousands recently mobilized.
Committee Chairman MK Rayten Marom warned, “The fact that soldiers are sent into the battlefield who suffer from serious psychological injuries is unreasonable to an extreme degree. Their return to warfare could increase their morbidity and its symptoms, as well as the risk of suicidality.” She added, “The statistics show an increase in the number of suicides by soldiers, along with an increase in the proportion of people with psychological injuries among the total number of injured.” Social media posts on X express public outrage, with one user stating, “Sending PTSD soldiers to fight is a betrayal of our heroes.” With 43 reported soldier suicides since October 2023 and 11 discharged reservists taking their lives due to service-related trauma, urgent reforms are demanded to address this escalating crisis.