Families of Israeli soldiers who died by suicide since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023 have filed a petition with the High Court of Justice to demand their sons be fully recognized as fallen soldiers, Israeli media reported.
The families are seeking to block the implementation of recommendations made last week by a committee tasked with examining the Israeli occupation army’s response to suicides linked to psychological trauma from military service.
Last week, the panel concluded that the Israeli military would take responsibility for soldiers who died by suicide but would stop short of classifying them as military casualties.
Israeli Channel 13 reports that since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, at least 74 Israeli soldiers and officers have committed suicide, while approximately 279 suicide attempts have also been recorded within the army. pic.twitter.com/PY8iL0WDws
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The petition, filed by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice and the Combat Diamonds Forum, which supports combat veterans with PTSD, calls for full recognition of soldiers who took their own lives after service, granting them the same status as soldiers who died while in uniform, Israeli Channel 13 reported on Wednesday.
The petitioners argue that there is a direct link between military service and the suicides, highlighting the mental toll of combat.
Tomer Wasserstein, brother of an Israeli reservist who died by suicide last July, said that his brother “gave his spirit in battle and couldn’t live with the images he saw during his service,” as quoted by the Israeli media outlet
“The soldiers who gave and continue to give their lives so we can feel safe deserve the proper honor and full recognition in their time of distress,” he added.
The Times of Israel quoted the director of legal aid at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice Rotem Ben-Simhon as saying: “at least 74 soldiers and service members have died by suicide due to mental distress linked to their service, with approximately 279 suicide attempts.”
The Israeli occupation army Grapples with psychological impact of Gaza war. It announced last week that 21 soldiers have committed suicide in 2025, a further indication of the worsening psychological crisis within its ranks following the Gaza war.
Source: Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)