The Israeli Occupation Army Records Sharp Increase in Suicide Cases Among Military Forces
Hebrew media revealed a jump in the number of suicides among soldiers within the Israeli Occupation army.
"The number of suicides in the [Israeli] Occupation army has jumped in half a year, with 11 soldiers lying dead since the beginning of 2022 after finishing their lives, while 11 soldiers have committed suicide in the past year, and in 2020, 9 soldiers have committed suicide," the official Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 said.
It warned that the presence of this "jump" in the number of suicide soldiers caused Israeli concern, prompting the head of the occupation army's workforce division, to hold an emergency session with mental health officials to examine the causes of "this disturbing rise in these cases of suicide."
"There was no clear conclusion from the session, but army commanders ordered increased vigilance and attention to the subject, and the head of the workforce ordered the opening of a hotline," the Israeli Occupation website i24 quoted Kan 11 as saying.
Immense Pressure
Commenting on the worsening suicides among the occupying army, Ahmed Awad, head of the Jerusalem Center for Future Studies at Al-Quds University, said, "Suicide is a major phenomenon within the Occupation army, a pressing phenomenon that cannot be covered up or denied, so the occupying army is forced to reveal some details of this phenomenon."
He added: "Suicide is escalating because the Occupation army is restless and sleepless and has a lot of pressure, from war to maneuver to security work in different areas.”
In press statements, he noted that there are "some cases of rebellion within the army, the flight of some elements, the sale of their weapons by some soldiers, food shortages, bullying, rape and even cases of gang rape."
"The [Israeli] Occupation army is not a natural army, it is constantly ready, although it is also no longer homogeneous; it includes Ashkenazi Jews, Eastern and Western, colored people, Druze, women, and even people of different religions," Awad said, noting that "the Occupation army is affected by all the problems and psychological crises that continue to afflict states."
Leading Cause of Death
According to recent statistics provided by the military, the number of soldiers murdered while serving in the so-called IDF increased slightly over the past year, from 28 to 31. There was also a slight increase in the number of suicides.
According to Brig. Gen. Yoram Knafo, chief of staff of the IDF Manpower Directorate, suicide continues to be the leading cause of death, with at least 11 soldiers believed to have committed suicide in 2021 and two more whose deaths are currently classified as accidents but may have also been suicide.
Three of the 11 soldiers who are thought to have committed suicide were from the Ethiopian community, which is significantly more than would be predicted based on their proportion in the general population.
According to Knafo, the military is aware of this problem and is making improvements while attempting to avoid stigmatizing the Ethiopian community.
Although Knafo claims that overall the number of suicides in the military has remained stable at about 10 every year, this is an increase from 2020, when nine troops were suspected of having died by suicide.
Omer Tabib, who was struck by an anti-tank guided missile on the Gaza border in May, was the only IDF soldier killed in action over the previous year. Another soldier, Yonatan Granot, was killed when he was shot in the head by another soldier who is currently on trial for manslaughter for allegedly firing a weapon on their base against instructions.
