Israel: Lawmakers Call For Urgent Investigation Into IDF Suicides

Nine members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee sent a letter on Tuesday to the committee chairman, Yuli Edelstein, demanding an immediate discussion on the growing mental health crisis in the Israeli army, particularly the alarming increase in the number of suicides among soldiers.

This initiative, led by Labor parliamentarian Merav Michaeli, follows revelations by Army Radio journalist Doron Kadosh, which say that the IDF’s Human Resources Directorate refuses to publish updated suicide figures despite several repeated requests. The most recent request was made on Tuesday morning, but the army is sticking to its position – the data will not be made public until January 2026.

In the past week, three soldiers took their own lives, drawing worried public scrutiny over the welfare of soldiers after more than a year and a half of war. 

“The refusal to be transparent undermines public trust in the IDF,” the lawmakers wrote, noting that the army has been undergoing an unprecedented period of psychological pressure since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023.

According to the figures cited in the letter, 38 suicides were recorded between 2023 and 2024, as well as 21 since the beginning of this year alone. Worse still, the last two months have seen a 70 percent increase in cases compared to the same period in 2024. This worrying trend affects all levels of the army, including elite units that have been particularly in demand for several months.

The parliamentarians denounced a climate of denial among military authorities, who are accused of concealing the true extent of the phenomenon. “It is unacceptable to wage war for six months without making the figures public,” they stress, before calling for concrete measures to restore discipline in the units and provide enhanced psychological support to the soldiers.

The signatories of the letter are calling for the immediate convening of a parliamentary debate and the prompt publication of data on suicides. At this stage, the army has not publicly responded to these requests. However, political pressure is mounting, as the issue of troop morale becomes a central concern for Israeli society in times of war.