IDF Dealing with Gaza Border Trauma

Stand for Israel  |  August 12, 2019

If any of those who stand for Israel were still unsure of the effects of life under constant threat of attack, a new report should clear things up. Ynet News’ Matan Tzuri writes about the trauma that is being observed in young people growing up near Israel’s border with Gaza, with life under fire causing lifelong effects in these young Israelis:

Military and health authorities are now having to accept that a new generation of soldiers from communities bordering the Hamas-controlled enclave, who grew up under a constant threat from Gaza is plagued by post-trauma even before they’ve began their military service.

Eighteen-year-old Israelis, residents of the Gaza border communities are enlisting in military service, carry with them the weight of a lifetime under rocket fire.

Some are so severely affected that they are unable to carry out their duties as soldiers, mostly in the demanding combat units.

The scope of the problem has just now begun to come to light as parents of new recruits turned to mental health services with reports of their children’s difficulties.

“My son wanted to be a combat soldier,” said one mother. “Those are the values we instilled in him growing up.”

Throughout his childhood, signs of his trauma were noticeable but not severe, she says.

“A door slamming would make him tense up. An ambulance siren would startle him…”