The forum of directors of psychiatric hospitals in Israel has called on the authorities to declare a state of emergency due to the high rates of suicide and mental illness among Israelis.
On Thursday, December 28, Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) said, a forum of directors of psychiatric hospitals sent a letter titled — “It is time to declare a state of emergency,” to the State Comptroller, describing the situation in Israel regarding mental and psychological diseases.
The forum pointed out “the high rates of mental illness and the increase in suicide cases in emergency situations in hospitals in an inhumane way.”
This comes after numerous suicide incidents have been reported among Jewish settlers since October 7, as well as widespread diseases among Israeli soldiers returning from Gaza Strip
Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 18 percent of the soldiers were suffering from mental health difficulties and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza Strip since Hamas’ October 7 attack have resulted in the deaths of at least 21,507 Palestinians, primarily women and children, and injuries to 55,915 others.
The war has severely damaged or destroyed half of Gaza’s coastal housing stock, displacing nearly 2 million people and causing food and water shortages.
The Hamas attack is believed to have resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis, leaving over 130 hostages in captivity.
