As Israel marks the third anniversary of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, the psychological toll on its society remains visible, with an increase in PTSD among children, more adults struggling with everyday life amid mental health issues, and a rise in suicides among soldiers, experts have told Al Jazeera. About 1,200 people died in the attacks on villages and army outposts in southern Israel, while Israel’s assault on Gaza has since killed more than 74,000 Palestinians. Gaza has been left almost uninhabitable amid a wave of destruction that a UN commission of inquiry has concluded amounts to genocide.
Meanwhile, Israeli society continues to function, but beneath the surface, the attacks, war and missile strikes have compounded the psychological strain among its people. New research has found that one in five Israelis reports severe difficulties with daily functioning because of their mental health, according to the National Mental Health Barometer, conducted by Clalit Health Services’ Research Institute and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. Among children and adolescents, separate Clalit research shared with Al Jazeera recorded a 121 per cent increase in psychiatric emergency visits compared with the period before the war.
Behind those figures are families living with bereavement and fears about what comes next. During a webinar for journalists organised by Clalit Health Services to mark the anniversary, Irit Ben Arye recounted how her husband, Haim Ben Arye, drove south to help evacuate survivors from Kibbutz Be’eri. It was one of the communities attacked by Palestinian fighters on 7 October 2023.
The 52-year-old bus driver returned home crying, she says. About two weeks later, he died by suicide. The couple were married for 30 years and had eight children.
Irit worries about the lasting effects on them. Recounting to journalists what she told her children following the death of her husband, she said: “You have to ask for help, if something is bothering you, if you’re in pain, in the dark, you feel that you are alone.” “Cry, ask, break something. Make yourself noticed, make us notice that you are in pain.” The Ben Arye family are not the only ones experiencing mental distress.
In fact, one-third of the Israeli population felt they needed mental health treatment, according to the National Mental Health Barometer report. Half reported that their leisure activities had been affected, while 35 per cent said they had difficulty forming and maintaining close relationships. Israel’s attacks on Iran and retaliatory missile strikes have brought further periods of fear and interruption to civilian life.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
