The Israeli army has refrained from disclosing full data regarding the number of soldiers dismissed from service for psychological reasons during the war on the Gaza Strip, in a move described as a violation of the Freedom of Information Law, amid explicit accusations from senior officers of deliberately concealing the real figures.
اضافة اعلان
According to information revealed by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the army continues to delay responding to official requests submitted under the Freedom of Information Law since June of last year, seeking accurate statistics on the number of soldiers discharged for psychological reasons.
Despite the expiration of the legal deadlines, which may extend up to 120 days, the army has continued to avoid disclosing the full data, providing only partial figures under pressure from legal petitions.
The report quoted officers who served in the army’s Human Resources Division and the spokesperson’s unit as saying that the military establishment intentionally delays or withholds information that could damage its image. They added that there is an institutional tendency to obstruct the publication of any “unflattering” information that could affect the army’s standing within Israeli society.
Experts in Manipulating Numbers
The Hebrew newspaper revealed that a reserve officer in the Human Resources Division confirmed the existence of specialists within the Israeli military whose tasks focus on manipulating percentages and concealing facts that do not support the official narrative.
The officer added: “They know how to play with the numbers to hide the scale of psychological distress. Meanwhile, if the army spokesperson needs data to refute a political or media claim, all departments are mobilized to provide the information within a matter of hours.”
Sources indicate that this blackout stems from deep concerns within the General Staff that revealing the scale of “psychological injuries” could undermine public morale and deepen internal divisions.
Unprecedented Figures
Despite attempts at concealment, the Israeli army was compelled by court order to provide partial data related to the first year of the war, revealing figures described as the highest in Israel’s history, including:
Thousands of active-duty soldiers were transferred from combat roles to rear positions due to exhaustion or psychological collapse.
A sharp increase in suicide cases, data that reportedly remained concealed until the end of 2024.
The Horrors of Gaza
Medical sources within the army’s mental health division attributed the crisis to the scale of horrors witnessed by soldiers following the events of October 7 and the intense fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Combatants who participated in battles around Gaza reportedly confirmed their complete inability to return to the battlefield, prompting the army to significantly expand its mental health officer system and establish specialized treatment centers, while focusing media coverage on the effectiveness of treatment rather than acknowledging the scale of the trauma, according to the newspaper.
For its part, the Israeli army spokesperson merely stated that the submitted requests are “under review,” claiming that the military remains fully committed to transparency even during wartime — a claim that the newspaper said is contradicted by the current legal and field realities.
— Haaretz
