Latest news with #DanielEdri
Russia Today
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Five Israeli soldiers kill themselves in two weeks
At least five Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives over the past two weeks, including both conscripts and reservists recently discharged after extended combat deployments in Gaza and other active conflict zones. Suicides within the IDF ranks have surged since West Jerusalem deployed troops to Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Seven soldiers died by suicide by the end of 2023, followed by 21 cases confirmed in 2024, and at least 20 incidents since the start of this year. The most recent case, confirmed on Sunday, involved a 19-year-old Norwegian immigrant who immigrated to Israel to join the IDF less than a year ago and was still undergoing training. Four others ended their lives in the past two weeks, including a Golani Brigade serviceman who shot himself at the Sde Teiman base, and reservist Daniel Edri, who self-immolated after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Most cases involve active-duty reservists, with military officials attributing the rise to combat-related trauma rather than personal or family circumstances. 'One cannot breathe in the face of this statistic,' opposition leader Yair Lapid said. 'This war also kills souls.' The IDF has also confirmed that thousands of reservists have withdrawn from combat roles due to psychological stress. The true number of suicides due to service-related mental health issues may be higher, with Haaretz reporting at least 12 non-combat veterans, whose deaths were not included in the army's official statistics in recent years. Now in its 21st month, the Gaza conflict has placed intense strain on Israeli forces, with prolonged deployments and mounting losses. Since the start of the operation, 893 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to official data, in addition to nearly 1,200 Israeli civilians killed during the October 7 Hamas raid. The retaliatory offensive has resulted in nearly 59,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Beyond Gaza, Israel has conducted airstrikes and limited ground operations in Lebanon, expanded its military presence in Syria, and bombed Iran. It has also escalated its activities in Iraq, Yemen and the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is fighting on seven fronts 'to defend ourselves against… barbarism.'
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
IDF soldier takes his own life after struggling with mental health from Oct 7, Gaza war
"He told me he saw horrors and said, 'Mom, I can't stop smelling the bodies, and I see the bodies all the time,'" Daniel's mother, Sigal Edri, recalled. Daniel Edri, an IDF soldier, took his own life on Saturday in the Biriya forest near Safed, the town where he grew up. He had been struggling with severe mental health issues as he tried to cope with the pain, images, and smells that haunted him from his experiences in Lebanon and Gaza. In addition to the traumatic images, Daniel, who turned 24 last month, was also devastated by the murder of two childhood friends at the Nova music festival—Eliasaf Ben Porat and Gabriel Yishai Barel. He had tried to reach Re'im to help them on October 7 but was unable to. Edri's family says that their deaths stayed with him and caused him ongoing pain. He was the third of four siblings and lost his father at a young age. His mother, Sigal, is urging the state to honor her son with a military funeral. So far, her request has not been approved. She said Edri wanted to enlist, and when he was called up for reserve duty, he felt fulfilled. He was discharged from the IDF about five months ago. According to Sigal, Edri served long periods as a combat support soldier in both the southern and northern sectors. He told her that he had transported the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers several times. "He told me he saw horrors and said, 'Mom, I can't stop smelling the bodies, and I see the bodies all the time,'" she recalled. IDF soldier dies by suicide after serving in Gaza, Lebanon Sigal told Walla that his mental health condition worsened over time, leading him to seek support. Edri initiated the recognition process with the Defense Ministry and received both a stipend and treatment. There were days when he fell into severe fits of rage, sometimes even destroying his apartment. Edri was afraid he might hurt himself; last week, he asked to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Staff at the hospital told him to wait and assured him that he would be transferred to a nursing home soon. "Time was against him, and he could no longer bear the pain," his mother said, crying. "At least in his death, he will find rest and respect and receive the honor he deserves for his sacrifice. He deserves a military funeral." The IDF responded, stating that according to Israeli law, an IDF martyr is someone who dies during their military service, whether on active duty or during reserve service. "The late Daniel Edri was not in active or reserve service at the time of his death, and therefore, he cannot be recognized as an IDF martyr and is not entitled to a military funeral," the IDF said in a statement.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
IDF soldier takes own life on base in Golan Heights
The soldier had fought in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, and this is the second soldier to have taken their own life this month. An IDF soldier from the Nahal Brigade took his own life on Monday morning on a military base in the Golan Heights, the military confirmed later that evening. The soldier had fought in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas War. An investigation has been opened by the military police, and upon conclusion, the findings will be presented to the military prosecution. The IDF confirmed it would continue to support the soldier's family. Second IDF soldier to take own life this month This is the second IDF soldier to have taken his own life this month. Daniel Edri took his own life a week and a half ago in the Biriya forest near Safed, the town where he grew up. He had been struggling with severe mental health issues as he tried to cope with the pain, images, and smells that haunted him from his experiences in Lebanon and Gaza. In addition to the traumatic images, Daniel, who turned 24 last month, was also devastated by the murder of two of his childhood friends at the Supernova music festival – Eliasaf Ben Porat and Gabriel Yishai Barel. He had tried to reach Re'im to help them on October 7 but was unable to save them. Edri's family says that their deaths stayed with him and caused him ongoing pain. He was the third of four siblings and lost his father at a young age. His mother, Sigal, is urging the state to honor her son with a military funeral and burial. So far, her request has not been approved. Solve the daily Crossword
Observer
19-07-2025
- Health
- Observer
After Gaza duty, Israeli soldiers kill themselves
Daniel Edri returned to Israel alive. He had served as a reservist in Gaza and southern Lebanon. When the missions ended, he carried no visible wounds. Yet he returned home unable to sleep, unable to escape the memories. He spoke to his mother about the smell of bodies and the civilians he had seen dying. He asked for psychiatric care but was refused. On July 5, 2025, he drove to a remote place and set himself on fire inside his car. Gaza didn't kill him — the war followed him home. Since Israel launched its campaign on Gaza in October 2023, at least 28 Israeli soldiers have died by suicide. The official figure for 2024 alone reached 21 — the highest annual number in more than a decade, according to Israeli and international media, including France24. Most of these soldiers served in Gaza or along the Lebanese front. Many were reservists — ordinary citizens turned into soldiers, instructed to destroy, then left to live with what they did. Their return is not marked by honour. They come back carrying psychological burdens that continue long after the fighting stops. Those who operated bulldozers to flatten neighbourhoods, those who launched drones at apartment buildings, those who entered homes with rifles — they are returning home with something that military training cannot manage: conscience. The Israeli military describes these suicides as being within expected norms. Yet even within Israeli society, there is growing doubt. Public trust in the army's transparency on suicide cases has declined sharply. According to France24, it dropped from 46 per cent in 2020 to 38 per cent in 2021. Behind the numbers lies a much deeper issue — one Israel's leaders would rather not confront. According to Israeli health ministry projections, more than 14,000 soldiers will require long-term medical or psychological treatment as a result of this war. Many are already being treated for post-traumatic stress, severe anxiety and depression. Most are young men in their early twenties. They were trained to carry out orders. They were not prepared to face what those orders meant. The damage they inflicted on Gaza is undeniable. Thousands of civilians have been killed. Entire families have been erased. Hospitals, mosques, schools and residential blocks have been levelled. These were not anonymous strikes. They were carried out by individuals with names, ranks — and now, silent trauma. When a soldier kills himself after returning home, it is not simply a private tragedy. It is a consequence of the very structure that sent him. ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-PROTEST Inside Gaza, people count their dead by the hundreds and thousands. In Israel, the war is beginning to claim soldiers through their own hands. These are not accidents. They are outcomes. An army that demands destruction cannot remain untouched by it. What began on the front lines has continued inside the minds of Israeli soldiers returning home. Israel has long invested in its military. It prides itself on discipline, technology and control. What it cannot control is what happens when the violence comes home. These suicides expose a contradiction: the state believes it can wage war without limits and still expect its soldiers to return to normal life. The deaths show otherwise. The responsibility for each suicide lies with every level of command — from the soldier on the ground to those who designed the campaign. When a soldier takes his own life, it exposes the moral emptiness of the structure he served. The war continues. So will these deaths. They are no longer confined to Gaza. They are no longer anonymous. Israel's army is absorbing a cost it does not fully acknowledge: the slow internal erosion of those it trained to obey. The rifles have been set down, but the memory of what they did remains loaded. Daniel Edri will not appear in Gaza's statistics. His name will not be among those buried in Gaza. Yet his story belongs to this war — a reminder that violence spreads beyond borders and returns in forms like silence, shame and the weight of actions that cannot be undone.
Roya News
14-07-2025
- Health
- Roya News
'Israeli' soldier commits suicide in northern military base
'Israeli' media reported on Monday that an 'Israeli' soldier died by suicide at a military base in northern 'Israel'. The incident reportedly occurred inside the base under circumstances that remain under investigation. A surge in suicides among Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) soldiers has raised alarms, with reports linking the rise to severe psychological trauma from prolonged combat in Gaza and southern Lebanon. According to recent data, at least 38 soldiers took their own lives in 2024, a sharp increase from 14 in 2022 and 11 in 2021, marking the highest toll in over a decade. The crisis, fueled by the intense stress of 'Israel's' ongoing military operations, has exposed deep mental health challenges within the IOF. 'Israeli' media, including Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth, report that 28 of the 38 suicides in 2024 occurred after the escalation of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, with 14 additional cases recorded in 2025 so far. One high-profile case involved 24-year-old soldier Daniel Edri, who set himself on fire near Safed on July 6, 2025, after suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Edri, tasked with transporting fallen soldiers' bodies, left a note stating, 'I smell so many corpses and I can't stand it anymore.'
