Israel to discharge 40,000 Soldiers due to “mental issues” following Gaza war

Shafaq News / Israel is set to discharge approximately 40,000 soldiers due to what it described as “mental issues” stemming from the Gaza War, according to Maariv newspaper.

“Thousands of Israeli soldiers have suffered psychological trauma affecting their mental health as a result of participating in the Gaza War,” the newspaper reported. This situation has led the military to convert a village into a therapeutic resort for soldiers with psychological injuries.

The report noted that some soldiers fell into difficult ambushes set by Hamas, resulting in physical and mental injuries from RPG attacks and light weapon fire.

This “hell,” as described by Maariv, prompted the military to temporarily release the affected soldiers due to mental health issues and transfer them to the army’s village, which was established three months ago to provide necessary healthcare.

The village is part of a project initiated in recent months across the country, according to the newspaper.

Maariv also stated that as preparations are made to discharge around 40,000 soldiers.

There are calls within the Israeli military to establish collective treatment centers for discharged soldiers to treat those suffering from war-related psychological trauma immediately. Currently, there are about 40 designated places for this purpose from north to south, with only nine recognized by the Rehabilitation Department, the newspaper reported.

Data from the Rehabilitation Department showed that as of October 7, 7,209 new cases had been admitted, with approximately 30% developing various mental reactions.

For about 60% of these cases, the mental injury is the primary injury. The department anticipates receiving 8,000 more injured soldiers by the end of the year, according to the Hebrew newspaper’s report.