Israeli reserve officer commits suicide after serving in Gaza war

A reserve officer from the Givati Brigade ended his life on Thursday after suffering severe psychological distress linked to his participation in the Gaza war, according to Hebrew media.

The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that a 28-year-old Israeli reserve officer died by suicide following intense mental trauma connected to fighting in Gaza settlements on the first day of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

The paper said the officer, Tomas Adzgauskas, a Givati Brigade reservist, died by suicide after experiencing psychological distress following his involvement in the fighting in Gaza settlements on 7 October 2023, possibly due to post-traumatic stress disorder, and later during ground operations inside the Gaza Strip.

According to the newspaper’s website, he had written shortly before the incident that he “could no longer live and was experiencing destruction and loss,” with no further details provided about the circumstances of his death.

At the end of last October, official Israeli data revealed 279 suicide attempts within the army over an 18-month period, during which 36 soldiers died by suicide.

READ: Israel’s Chief Rabbinate bans reserve soldiers from carrying weapons amid rising suicides