“I Can’t Do This Anymore”: Soldier Threatened Suicide Twice, Was Still Sent Into Gaza

Four soldiers from the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, who endured multiple combat tours in the Gaza Strip, were imprisoned and removed from combat roles after refusing further deployments, citing a deep internal crisis from traumatic experiences, Kan News reported. Three soldiers received prison sentences ranging from one week to 12 days, while the fourth awaits trial. The IDF stated a mental health officer deemed them fit for combat, emphasizing that refusal of orders during wartime is treated with severity.

The soldiers, who lost comrades and witnessed harrowing scenes over months in Gaza, informed their commanders they could not return, not out of fear but due to profound psychological strain. One soldier, previously injured on the Gaza border a year ago, had voluntarily returned after rehabilitation. The soldiers, expecting imprisonment, criticized the IDF for sending them to jail instead of providing mental health support. The IDF responded that the matter was handled sensitively per regulations, and the soldiers accepted the consequences.

Soldier Threatened Suicide Twice, Remained in Gaza Combat Without Mental Health Support

Earlier this month, a Kfir Brigade soldier who served in previous Gaza rounds and faced severe mental distress repeatedly requested to see a mental health officer but was denied, even after threatening suicide twice. The soldier said only his unit mates prevented a tragedy.

The first incident occurred at a staging area before re-entering Gaza. In severe distress, the soldier placed his rifle’s barrel in his mouth with a loaded round, saying, “I can’t do this anymore, I’m not going in.” His platoon commander, witnessing the event, said, “Take the gun out of your mouth, or you’ll get a day off.” Another sergeant, recognizing the gravity, intervened and disarmed him. Despite this, the soldier was sent into Gaza.

During operations, his mental state worsened. He repeatedly asked to leave, expressing suicidal thoughts to his comrades: “I can’t take it anymore.” They urged him to speak to the commander, but when he requested to leave with a departing logistics unit, the platoon commander refused to return his confiscated phone. When the soldier said, “I want to do something to myself,” the commander smirked. The soldier aimed his weapon at himself, but another sergeant intervened to prevent disaster.

When the platoon saw no response to the soldier’s condition, they demanded the commander remove him from the field. Facing refusal, they declared, “If he doesn’t leave, we all leave.” The soldiers gathered their gear and went to the battalion commander’s base in southern Gaza. They claimed they tried to explain the severity to the commander, who was unaware of the suicide attempts and the lack of mental health support.

Only after the soldiers’ appeal was the soldier referred to a mental health officer, who held individual talks with the platoon and recommended their withdrawal from Gaza for recuperation. During the talks, serious complaints were raised against the platoon commander, including an incident where he “fired at the ground near soldiers while angry.” A day after the incident was reported, the IDF decided to disband the platoon’s spearhead unit.