The Israeli army summons hundreds of people with psychological trauma for this reason!

In recent months, the Israeli army has called up hundreds of soldiers from the reserve, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and those with permanent mental disabilities, to serve again in the escalating war on the Gaza Strip. This comes amid a "severe manpower crisis" and warnings of "serious repercussions," according to a report in Haaretz on Sunday.

The report stated that at least two reserve soldiers committed suicide in recent months after being called back to duty despite having previously been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, bringing the number of suicides among regular and reserve soldiers to 35 since October 7, 2023, including 21 soldiers since the beginning of 2024.

The newspaper noted that the army does not have an updated and comprehensive database on the psychological conditions of soldiers previously recognized as having mental health disabilities, including soldiers currently being treated in the Ministry of Defense's rehabilitation department. Although the ministry has transferred partial lists to the army, they lack accurate clinical information, making monitoring cases extremely difficult.

Recruitment despite warnings

One example cited in the report is the suicide of a 25-year-old reserve soldier who served in Khan Yunis as part of an armored unit. He was called up again in March 2024 despite previous suicide attempts and being registered as mentally ill with the ministry. Despite being informed of the deterioration of his condition, he was not referred to any specialized authority and committed suicide with his weapon in his home hours after requesting his discharge.

An army source told the newspaper that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of reserve soldiers suffer from varying degrees of psychological trauma, some of whom are recognized as permanently injured with disabilities exceeding 50%. The source emphasized that some of these soldiers were called up through volunteer advertisements on social media.

"egg-cracking" doctrine

According to the report, leaders in the Human Resources Division opposed initiatives to subject recruits to psychological assessments before their call-up, fearing it would "open Pandora's Box" and lead to a collapse in combat readiness. One officer was quoted as saying, "We need as many rifles as possible. We'll deal with the consequences later. You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

The report noted that some soldiers attempted to excuse themselves from service due to their condition, but their requests were rejected. One of them, a 29-year-old man with a persistent mental health condition, received a summons despite having received official recognition of his disability.

Lack of follow-up and high suicide

The newspaper explained that the army places the responsibility of reporting mental health conditions on the soldier himself, although many are unaware of this obligation. According to psychological experts, some sufferers prefer not to disclose their problems for fear of exclusion or shame.

Israeli psychiatrists say that returning wounded soldiers to the battlefield exposes them to increased risks, both in terms of deteriorating psychological state and increased risk of suicide. The newspaper reported that ten soldiers committed suicide after being discharged from service, but these were not included in the army's statistics.

In response, the Israeli military said it "invests significant resources in psychological follow-up" and that "every soldier must report any change in their health condition," but did not deny the difficulty of monitoring cases under the current circumstances.

For its part, the Ministry of Defense indicated that the Rehabilitation Department is monitoring more than 17,000 casualties from the ongoing Gaza war, including more than 9,000 psychologically injured. It stated that dealing with these patients is a "national mission" and noted that cooperation is ongoing with various agencies to address the challenges.