Israeli Air Force Cadet Found Dead by Suicide

A cadet in the Israeli Air Force’s military flight training programme was found dead at a military base in southern Israel on Sunday, 9 August, according to the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz.

The death comes after nearly 50 active-duty Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, amid reports that many troops are suffering severe psychological distress following the horrors they witnessed in Gaza.

On 29 July, Haaretz reported that 17 Israeli soldiers had died by suicide this year, while 24 took their own lives in 2024 and 17 in 2023, including seven after the Gaza war began.

The newspaper cited a shortage of military mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, as a contributing factor.

The report highlighted systemic deficiencies in the military’s capacity to assist discharged soldiers, reservists and unit members experiencing significant trauma, particularly those involved in identifying deceased soldiers.

According to one report, two female soldiers serving as regular troops and one reservist also died by suicide in the preceding month.

Findings presented in the Haaretz report indicate that the Israeli army’s rehabilitation division receives hundreds of soldiers suffering from psychological injuries each month. The majority of them are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of combat exposure.