Israeli soldier commits suicide due to psychological problems from Gaza war

By Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - An Israeli reserve soldier committed suicide due to psychological problems from the ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Sunday.

The Israeli news website Walla said Daniel Adri, 24, who served in the reserve forces in Gaza and Lebanon, killed himself after a long struggle with psychological trauma and the loss of two friends in Gaza.

The soldier was found dead in a forest near the city of Safed in northern Israel after repeated unsuccessful attempts to receive psychological treatment, the broadcaster said.

"He could no longer bear it and complained of recurring visions of dead bodies and the smell of death," his mother said.

According to Israeli media, an increasing number of soldiers have committed suicide since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Figures given by the Israel Hayom newspaper showed that 21 soldiers had ended their lives in 2024.

In May, the Israeli daily Haaretz said that 42 soldiers had committed suicide since the start of the Gaza war.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.