• Over 5000 Israeli soldiers injured, with 2000 officially recognised as disabled
• Over 504 soldiers suffering mental health difficulties and PTSD.
After more than 20,400 civilians have been massacred in Gaza by Israel, with soldiers laying siege to almost every bit of territory in the north. The reality of the atrocities at the hands of Israel has started to delve into the minds of the soldiers of the IDF. It must be remembered that since 9/11, more than seven thousand American soldiers have died in the post-9/11 warzones of Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. Yet, the number of American servicemembers and veterans who died by committing suicide because of psychological wounds stands at above thirty thousand. This is more than four times the number of people killed in combat. A lot of these suicides only took place after military operations had ended or when the soldiers had been taken out of service. Israeli soldiers are not immune to these same mental health problems, even if they stay out of combat for years.
The eye-watering number of suicides Israel may have to endure
Israel boasts one of the best healthcare systems in the world, ranked 19th, yet the US has the 11th-best healthcare system in the world and still has to endure the brunt of thirty thousand suicides. Neither Israeli nor American healthcare is free, and the post-apocalyptic-like trauma that the Israeli soldiers are currently facing in Gaza is similar, if not perhaps even more war-ravaged than what the Americans had to face in Afghanistan. With more than 5000 injured and 504 already suffering mental health issues, by the time the genocide in Gaza does eventually come to an end, we can expect a higher rate of mental health illnesses and suicides than the rate of deaths, and possibly even more than the rate of those injured. Not every soldier who avoids injury avoids mental health problems. In fact, the majority of those American soldiers suffering PTSD who fought in the 9/11-related wars are those who were not seriously injured. Just being in a war-like scenario, especially when you are consistently fearing for your life, is enough trauma as it is. Even if not every soldier who fought in Gaza commits suicide, many will still be so traumatised that they will likely not be able to return to combat again. As one fearful Israeli soldier said at the start of the land invasion of Gaza, it’s ‘like fighting ghosts’.
This phase of Israel’s genocide, which potentially sacrificed the mental health of tens of thousands of IDF soldiers for an impossible goal, will undoubtedly weaken the Israeli military once the dust settles and the bombing stops. However, depending on how badly it affects the Israeli military, it will determine if other Palestinian or anti-Israel groups will take advantage of it. Groups like Hezbollah, which to this day has stopped short of calling for a full-out war, or Palestinian factions that are currently not participating in the war itself. Or even Iran, which so far has not launched a single rocket or drone towards Israeli territory, may take advantage of Israel’s weakness and decide to get involved in some way or another.
