News- Middle East: An Israeli reservist, who spent more than 300 days in the Gaza Strip, has taken his own life after observing “horrific scenes” throughout the war on Palestinians.

Israeli Army Radio reported on Thursday that Roi Wasserstein, 24, a member of the 401st Armored Brigade’s medical evacuation unit, committed suicide after consistently communicating the atrocities and distressing experiences he faced in Gaza to his family and friends. He fulfilled his final reserve duty in late May 2025.

The radio network announced that the Israeli military will not recognize Wasserstein as a fallen soldier, since he was not officially on duty at the moment of his death.

With Wasserstein's death, the count of Israeli soldiers who have taken their own lives this month has increased to seven, as reported by the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.

Israeli media said nearly 50 soldiers have committed suicide since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Haaretz reported that 17 soldiers took their own lives this year, while 24 did so in 2024, and 17 in 2023, with seven of those occurring after the start of the Gaza war.

The newspaper mentioned a critical lack of military mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, as a contributing factor.

It highlighted the systemic shortcomings in the military's capacity to assist discharged soldiers, reservists, and members of units exposed to significant trauma – especially those engaged in the identification of deceased soldiers.

The paper indicates that each month, hundreds of soldiers with psychological injuries are received by the army’s rehabilitation division, a significant number of whom experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of combat offensives in Gaza.

As per military reports, 898 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,134 have sustained injuries since the onset of the war on Gaza in October 2023. The military is confronted with internal allegations of hiding greater casualty figures.

At least 60,249 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 146,894 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged coastal territory.

Source: Press TV