Sdot Yam (Israel), Nov 12 (AP) 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 Gaza war, and the flashbacks and panic attacks haven't ceased. Wounded in a Hamas missile attack on his military base, he recalls that 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 a 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 finds 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 issues 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 reports nearly 11,000 soldiers suffering from “mental health injuries” since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. This accounts for over 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.
Suicides have also spiked. In the decade preceding the war, the number of soldiers taking their own lives averaged 13 per year in the army. Since the war, that number has risen, with 21 soldiers dying by suicide last year, according to the army. These figures — which account for active duty and reserve troops — don't include soldiers who took their own lives after leaving the military.
A report published by Israel's parliament last month showed an additional 279 soldiers attempted to take their own lives from January 2024 through July 2025 but survived.
“There's now a genuine understanding that psychological injuries have profound consequences and that treatment is both necessary and practical,” said Limor Luria, deputy director general and head of the defense ministry's Rehabilitation Department.
“We're seeing a generational difference," she said. "While many wounded veterans from previous wars never sought help, today's wounded are responding very differently.” The army is scrambling to address the crisis, mobilizing hundreds of mental health officers. It has sent experts to the front lines to help soldiers during combat, established a hotline, and provided group therapy sessions to fighters once they've left service. Yet experts warn Israel is not yet equipped to deal with the scale — a gap the rehabilitation department acknowledged, saying it impacts the entire national health system.
The length and intensity of this war on multiple fronts — with tens of thousands of active duty and reserve troops called up for repeated deployments — haven't allowed soldiers to properly heal, which could have long-term consequences for the country, said Tuly Flint, a trauma therapy specialist who has counseled hundreds of Israeli soldiers.
“Those victims of war, if not treated, lose the potential for personal and social development possible for them and may become a burden on themselves, their families, and society,” he said.
Half a dozen soldiers who spoke to the AP, as well as psychologists who have treated fighters, said they lacked purpose, had difficulty concentrating or maintaining relationships, and as the war dragged on, a sense of hopelessness set in.
Flint noted that some also suffered from “moral injury.” “Soldiers come back asking themselves who they are after what they've seen and done, what kind of people are they?” he said.
Rescue animals help soldiers heal
The 27-year-old former soldier, who worked as a radio technician for about six months at the start of the war, said he arrived at the farm earlier this year because he felt lost.
A missile struck his base on the border with Gaza, severely injuring his back. After that, he became anxious, triggered by noise, constantly on edge.
“Everything got louder, like my aggressions, my yelling, my feelings, everything just went up,” he said — as though “someone broke the volume.” He's receiving therapy from the army, but the farm has allowed him to heal in a different way, surrounded by others with similar experiences and calming his mind by focusing on the animals, he said.
Nestled in the Sdot Yam kibbutz, the Back2Life farm is among several grassroots organizations stepping in to support the growing number of soldiers needing help. It was co-founded by Assi Nave and dedicated to his friend from an elite military unit, Amir (Dani) Yardenai, who suffered severe PTSD for years after fighting in Gaza in 2014, and died by suicide last year.
“Dani's loss left me with the sense that he's not the last one,” Nave said.
The farm has become an oasis for dozens of veterans who have participated in its sessions — which, in addition to traditional counseling, include therapy with dogs and other animals — set against the backdrop of chirping birds and clucking chickens. Former soldiers work with rescue animals, each helping the other to heal.
Psychologist Guy Fluman, who works with former soldiers and advises the farm on therapeutic approaches, said a major challenge veterans face is readjusting to civilian life, and being with animals is grounding.
“You need to help them resolve their memories, be able to live in peace with what has happened ... and on the other hand to reconnect them to life,” he said.
Stigma persists
One 31-year-old deployed in Gaza and the West Bank for a year said that upon returning home, everything was a struggle: His relationship ended, and he had difficulty connecting with family and friends.
“I felt like I was back there,” he said, “My body is here, but my mind is not.” He was among several veterans who told the AP he suffered from mental illness for years, triggered by fighting in Israel's previous wars, yet this was the first time he felt comfortable seeking support.
“Stigma around mental health persists” among soldiers, acknowledged Luria, the rehabilitation program director. “Combating this stigma is a top priority.”
“We're addressing it on multiple fronts,” including public campaigns and media outreach, she said, as well as programs designed to engage younger veterans, like rehabilitation farms and adventure sports.
A 32-year-old reservist who was assigned to collect bodies in southern Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack — in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage — said his flashbacks were less about the sight of the decaying men and women and more about the smell.
“I started to smell dead bodies ... all the time,” he said. He'd get triggered while changing his child's diaper.
As a therapist himself, he recognized the signs and sought help for PTSD. He then started working with others to help with the army's growing need.
He said the best way for soldiers to come forward is for their commanders on the ground to let them know that it's OK.
“When the commander of the soldiers says you can get help,” he said, “it works better and you have less stigma.” (AP) SKS SKS
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