Suicide was the most common cause of death among Israel soldiers last year

The Israel Defence Forces have revealed that the most common cause of death among soldiers in 2016 was suicide, reported the Times of Israel. IDF statistics released on Sunday show that out of the 41 serving soldiers who died in 2016, 15 committed suicide; all were men.

Four IDF soldiers were killed during military operations, nine lost their lives in on-base accidents, and seven were in off-duty car crashes. The remaining six died as a result of illness or other medical reasons.

While it’s more common to have more males committing suicide than females, it is usual for around 90 per cent of Israeli soldiers who take their own lives to be men; having no female suicides in a whole year is considered by the IDF to be rare. The report also stated that no specific minority Jewish demographic, such as Ethiopian Jews, forms a disproportionately large percentage among the suicides.