Israeli soldiers are killing themselves
Maariv: According to a report prepared by the Rehabilitation Division in the Ministry of Defense –
The report disclosed that for the first time, suicide became the leading cause of death in the IDF. Last year, 43 soldiers committed suicide, in contrast with 30 soldiers who were killed during military operations, a 30% increase in the number of suicides in comparison with 2002, when 31 soldiers took their own lives.
Last year, 32 soldiers died of illness, 27 in traffic accidents or during vacations, and 10 were killed in traffic accidents while on duty. Nine soldiers were killed during training practice exercises and four during the course of military operations. Eight soldiers died due to other reasons.
Ministry of Defense data further revealed that suicide is not a transient phenomenon. In the first half of 2004 alone, 15 additional soldiers killed themselves.
The rise in the number of suicides in the IDF in 2003, and the fact that suicide has become the number 1 cause of death, has stunned the IDF.
Many Israelis and their American cheering section like to claim that they are “winning” the Intifada. Even if that were true, at what cost?