“Hundreds” of soldiers had sought psychiatric treatment for “severe stress” during last summer’s 51-day offensive. It is noteworthy that this war, which finally ended with a cease-fire deal signed in August, killed over 2,160 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and some 11,000 injured.
According to an Israeli report on Worldbulletin, hundreds of Israeli soldiers who took part in last summer’s military onslaught on the Gaza Strip have since received psychiatric counseling for post-traumatic stress.
The report, which was published in Israel Today newspaper, said that soldiers had undergone treatment for symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress, including disorientation, low productivity and recurring nightmares.
A number of soldiers had undergone treatment for full-on psychological trauma, according to the report.
The newspaper quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that the number of soldiers to receive psychiatric treatment following last summer’s onslaught on Gaza was higher than those who did so following previous operations.
The official, who holds a senior position in the Israeli military’s psychiatric department, said that “hundreds” of soldiers had sought psychiatric treatment for “severe stress” during last summer’s 51-day offensive.
Treatment was carried out at southern Israel’s Re’im military base where affected soldiers received up to eight hours of treatment each day, the official was quoted as saying.