"I smell the bodies, I can’t take it anymore": Daniel Edri (24) ended his life yesterday
Haunted by the horrors of war and the loss of his closest friends, 24-year-old Israeli reservist Daniel Adri took his own life in a forest near Safed. His tragic death lays bare the silent, growing toll of psychological trauma among soldiers returning from the battlefield.
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Daniel Adri celebrated his 24th birthday last month, but there was little joy in the milestone. The young Israeli reservist was battling demons that had followed him home from the battlefields of Gaza and Lebanon, haunting images and smells that no amount of time seemed able to erase.
On Friday, in the Biriya Forest near his hometown of Safed, Edri took his own life, becoming another casualty of a war that has claimed lives far beyond the battlefield.
Adri's story began on Oct. 7, when two of his childhood friends, Elisaf Ben-Porat and Gabriel Yishai Barel, were murdered at the Nova music festival. He had wanted to reach the site to help them but couldn't make it in time. Their deaths haunted him, another layer of trauma to an already heavy burden.
When called up for reserve duty, Edri served extended periods as combat support in both the southern and northern sectors. His duties included carrying the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers, a responsibility that left deep psychological scars. "He told me he saw horrors," his mother Sigal recalled through tears. "He said to me: 'Mom, I smell the smell of the bodies and I keep seeing the bodies all the time.'"
The third of four siblings who had lost his father at a young age, Edri initially found purpose in his military service. But as months passed, his psychological condition deteriorated. He experienced severe anger attacks and sometimes destroyed his apartment. Recognizing his distress, he sought help from the Defense Ministry, receiving both pension support and psychological treatment.
A week before his death, Edri asked to be hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, understanding that he might harm himself. The hospital told him to wait; he would soon enter a rehabilitation center. But time ran out.
"Time was against him and he couldn't stand the pain anymore," his mother said. Now she faces another battle, requesting that the state honor her son with a military funeral, a request that has not yet been approved.
Adri's death exemplifies a growing crisis among Israeli soldiers and civilians grappling with the psychological aftermath of Oct. 7 and the war that followed. His story is a stark reminder that some wounds of war are invisible, and sometimes prove fatal long after the fighting stops.
NOTE:
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact these mental health hotlines for immediate, confidential support: