SDOT YAM, Israel: Wrapped tightly around his forearms, the former Israeli soldier feels the snakes’ cold skin against his, and for a moment he’s able to breathe.
It’s been nearly 18 months since he left the army after fighting in the war in Gaza, and the flashbacks and panic attacks haven’t ceased. He was wounded in a Hamas missile attack on his military base, and said two of his friends – also soldiers in their 20s – died by suicide. This farm in central Israel dedicated to helping soldiers has been a lifeline, he said.
“It doesn’t matter if a plane goes by or if the drone goes by or if someone is yelling. ... Because I’m here with the snake right now,” said the 27-year-old sergeant major, who called the experience grounding. Like other soldiers who spoke to The Associated Press, he insisted on anonymity to discuss private mental health matters.
Israel’s longest war is leaving a trail of traumatized soldiers, with a growing number suffering from mental health illnesses after two years of war with Hamas. Reports of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health problems are increasing among soldiers, as are suicides.
Israel’s defense ministry says it has documented nearly 11,000 soldiers suffering from “mental health injuries” since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. That accounts for more than a third of the total 31,000 troops with such injuries in all of Israel’s conflicts since its founding nearly 80 years ago. The ministry defines mental health injuries as PTSD, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
