IDF Reports Surge in Suicides as War Fatalities Reach Historic Levels

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed Thursday that 38 soldiers have died by suspected suicide since the beginning of 2023, coinciding with a broader surge in fatalities during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of 891 soldiers in total, the Times of Israel reported.
A troubling increase from previous years, the numbers have more than doubled from the 14 suicides recorded in 2022 and more than tripled from the 11 in 2021. Of the 17 suspected suicides in 2023, seven occurred after October 7. In 2024, 21 suicides included seven soldiers serving their terms of mandatory military service, two career soldiers, and 12 reservists.
The overall death toll of members of the IDF has reached unprecedented levels. In 2023, 558 soldiers lost their lives, including 512 in operations and three killed in terror attacks. 16 died in accidents—two during training, four in civilian car crashes, five in military vehicle accidents, one from an accidental weapon discharge, and four in other incidents—while 10 succumbed to illness.
In 2024, the total fatalities dropped to 363, with 295 killed during operations and 11 in terror attacks. Accidents claimed 23 lives—17 in civilian car crashes, three in military vehicle incidents, and three in other accidents—while 13 soldiers died from illness.
The spike in suicides is believed to be tied to the mental stress following the IDF’s large-scale mobilization of nearly 300,000 reservists during the war on Gaza. Thousands of reservists have reportedly stepped back from combat roles due to the psychological strain.
Since the war began, the IDF reports that a total of 891 soldiers have been killed. These include 329 in the October 7 onslaught, at least 390 in Gaza, 37 in attacks on northern Israel, 50 in fighting within Lebanon, and 11 in the West Bank.
In response to the alarming suicide rates, the IDF has enhanced its mental health initiatives. It launched a 24/7 helpline that has fielded over 3,900 calls since October 2023 and deployed over 800 reservist mental health officers to provide support.
While the IDF has a lower suicide rate than Israel’s civilian population and many militaries globally due to longstanding prevention programs, the recent surge reflects the immense psychological toll of prolonged conflict.
In comparison, the U.S. military has experienced over four times as many suicides as combat deaths since September 11, 2001, while the Ukrainian armed forces have reported around 700 suicides since 2014.