IDF Establishes Committee to Examine Suicide Cases Among Veterans
Against the backdrop of numerous cases of discharged soldiers and reservists who ended their lives following their service, the Head of Human Resources Directorate ordered the establishment of a committee that will examine the coping and response provided to them - during service and after.
Twitter
The Head of the IDF Human Resources Directorate, Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, ordered the establishment of a special committee to examine the response provided to discharged soldiers and reservists who are not in active service - who ended their lives following their military service. The decision was made in coordination with Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, given the uniqueness of the period.
The committee will be headed by Major General (Res.) Moti Almoz, former Head of Human Resources Directorate. Committee members will include medical and mental health personnel from the IDF, legal personnel, casualty department officers, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Division.
The committee will examine all systemic, value-based and social-national aspects related to the coping of IDF servicemembers after their discharge, including the issue of recognition and assistance to them - including the legal aspects relating to recognition of their status.
The committee's purpose is to ensure a thorough, sensitive, responsible and equitable examination of the responses provided to IDF servicemembers - throughout the entire service cycle and after.
Upon completion of its work, the committee's conclusions will be brought for approval by the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff.
Head of Human Resources Directorate, Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, said: "The IDF has a moral and national responsibility to stand beside those who paid heavy prices in their military service, even after they removed their uniforms. The establishment of the committee is intended to ensure that the State of Israel and the IDF provide appropriate, sensitive and equitable response to every serviceman and servicewoman, at every stage of their lives. I want to send an embrace to the families who lost their loved ones. We will act with all the tools at our disposal to help, strengthen resilience, recognize their pain and ensure that none of them is left behind."