After more than two years of continuous warfare across Gaza and multiple regional fronts since October 2023, Israeli institutions, researchers and officials report a marked rise in mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide cases and broader social strain.
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Analysts and studies from within Israel say the country has increasingly been shaped by sustained psychological distress following a series of military confrontations since October 2023. These include the Hamas-led assault on southern villages and subsequent wars and strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and other neighbouring states.
A survey by Maccabi Healthcare Services found that around one-third of Israelis believe they require professional mental health support. Among soldiers and reservists, the impact appears more severe. In January, Israel’s Defence Ministry reported a near-40 percent increase in PTSD cases among military personnel since September 2023, with projections suggesting a 180 percent rise by 2028.
The government has not published figures on the number of soldiers discharged for mental health reasons during this period, despite what Israeli media reports describe as a legal obligation to do so.
Earlier this month, Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, launched a dedicated mental health response unit after recording a 45 percent increase in emergency calls, most of them linked to ongoing war-related stress.
Suicide rates have also risen, particularly within the military. According to The Jerusalem Post, 78 percent of military suicides in 2024 were associated with combat operations in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. Reports have also indicated increases in domestic violence, depression and stress across society since October 2023.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has publicly addressed what he described as a growing trend of violence within society, including attacks by Israelis from illegal settlements against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and violence targeting Christians. He stated: “I wish I could speak today only about unity. But to my great sorrow, we are living through days in which violence is not the only thing rearing its head. Alongside it, at the margins of our magnificent Israeli society, a terrible process is creeping in – a terrible process of brutalisation. It is a slow and disturbing process, one that threatens to enter the mainstream of Israeli society, and we will not allow it.”
Like a switch
Mental health practitioner and combat veteran Tuly Flint said the events of October 7 marked a turning point in collective psychological conditions.
“October 7 was like a switch, and the trauma it caused is widespread and ongoing,” he told Al Jazeera.
“People’s sense of security was shattered,” he said, adding that confidence in state institutions and military protection had declined. He also pointed to what he described as a growing gap between past conflicts and current realities, which has contributed to a loss of institutional trust and, in some cases, shifts toward more hardline political positions.
A poll cited by the N12 news site found that 46 percent of Jewish Israeli voters aged 18 to 21 believed October 7 resulted from a “betrayal from within”. The same group was also identified as among the most right-wing and religious in Israel’s history.
Hardwired violence
Some analysts argue that the roots of current dynamics predate October 2023. Israeli sociologist Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani said violence has been embedded in Israeli society since its establishment in 1948, and that recent events have intensified rather than created existing patterns.
“October 7 was like a new beginning,” he said. “People create beginnings to erase the trauma of the past. Giving trauma a start date helps explain it.”
He also said changes in Israeli society have become more visible in the current period.
“There was always a fascist element to zionism, but more liberal strands, such as kibbutzim, obscured it. However, since October 7, it’s become more apparent. You can see it everywhere,” he said, noting that he has stopped teaching due to increasing criticism from right-wing students.
Professor Zahava Solomon of Tel Aviv University, who has studied trauma for 40 years, said the long-term trajectory remains uncertain. She noted that collective trauma can produce either increased militarisation or greater willingness to negotiate. She also pointed to the role of historical trauma, including the Holocaust, in shaping Israeli perceptions of victimhood.
Mental health practitioner Tuly Flint said the consequences are difficult to reverse. “There’s no cure,” he said. “There’s just recovery. Once people have crossed that threshold, that’s it.”
