The number of suicides by Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers dropped by nearly half in 2018 compared to the previous year, an annual report from the IDF Personnel Division shows.
A total of nine soldiers are believed to have taken their own lives over the course of 2018, compared to 16 in 2017.
In the past three decades, 50 to 70 IDF soldiers have committed suicide per year. From 2005-2011, that number dropped to 26 to 28 suicides per year, and 2018 marked the lowest number of suicides in the past five years.
All of the suicides, with the exception of one reservist, took place during soldiers’ compulsory military service. All but one were men. Most of the suicides occurred after the soldiers had completed basic training. None of the soldiers who ended their lives had a history of mental-health problems or were in treatment.
The Personnel Division is actively trying to prevent suicide among IDF soldiers.
“We provide commanders with tools and teach them how to talk about the subject. We’ve made the concepts understandable. We explain to commanders how important it is to learn about their soldiers,” a senior Personnel Division officer said.
One step the Personnel Division has taken is to make home visits mandatory for commanders. Another is to limit access to weapons outside of military activity.
“A soldier who goes on a long leave has to hand over their weapon,” said the officer.
The total number of IDF casualties for 2019 stood at 43, compared to 55 in 2017. Eight soldiers fell in combat operations. Two soldiers were killed in accidents, and another 14 died in car accidents (not necessarily related to their army service).
In addition to the nine believed to have killed themselves, 10 soldiers succumbed to various illnesses.
