00:00In recent days, reports from Hebrew media have described a tragic incident in the town of
00:25Tehran within the occupied Palestinian territories. A young soldier, just 22 years old, serving
00:34in the elite Givati Brigade, was found lifeless at a military base near Nazareth.
00:41The cause, a self-inflicted gunshot wound, discovered on November 25, 2025. Authorities
00:50confirmed the event, but released few details, calling it non-combat related, and offering
00:57no insight into his background or any struggles he may have been facing.
01:04This loss, in a Druze-majority village, reflects the quiet pain moving through communities connected
01:11to the Israeli Defense Forces.
01:13Now, widening the lens, we look at a growing mental health crisis inside the IDF. Since
01:22the war began, more than two years ago, nearly 11,000 soldiers have been documented as suffering
01:30from severe psychological injuries. According to Israel's Defense Ministry, PTSD cases alone
01:39have climbed sharply, with nearly 3,800 diagnoses by mid-2025. And the support system? Still
01:49falling short. Only about 35% of soldiers removed from duty for mental health reasons receive timely
01:58care. From January 2024 to July 2025, military data shows 279 suicide attempts and 36 tragic losses.
02:13Combat troops now account for 78% of these cases, nearly double the pre-war rate.
02:21These are not just statistics. This is a national emergency, affecting more than 2 million Israelis, including
02:29civilians, grappling with trauma, addiction, and deepening despair.
02:36This crisis didn't arise on its own. It's intertwined with the Gaza War, Israel's longest conflict
02:43since 1948. The intensity of urban combat, the death of comrades, over 700 IDF fatalities, and the moral strain
02:55of fighting in crowded civilian areas all contribute to what is known as moral injury, a distress born
03:04from witnessing or taking part in actions that shake one's core beliefs. Human rights reports point to civilian
03:13harm and allegations of violations that soldiers bring back with them. With more than 300,000 reservists
03:22mobilized, the psychological toll has only deepened. By 2025, suicides among soldiers had tripled compared to
03:32pre-war levels, linked directly to the relentless pressure of the ongoing conflict.
03:39And so, we come back to that young soldier in Tehran. His story, tragically, is not unique. A member of the
03:50Givati Brigade, possibly burdened by the weight of frontline experience. Families and advocates criticized a
03:59silence surrounding these cases, fearing it conceals the true scale of the crisis. As the numbers rise and the
04:08questions grow louder, we're left to ask, is the IDF collapsing from within?
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