Two Israeli soldiers die by suicide within a week, Haaretz reports

Two Israeli soldiers have died by suicide within the same week, bringing the number of military personnel who took their own lives while on duty this year to 16, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. In the first case, a soldier from the Bardelas battalion, stationed on the border with Egypt, died after being found wounded inside a base in southern Israel and taken to hospital, according to the report. In the second case, a soldier serving in a classified role with military intelligence died by suicide at the Glilot base near the city of Ramat HaSharon on Sunday, Haaretz said. The Israeli military has opened a military police investigation into both deaths, the newspaper added. Haaretz also reported that at least nine other soldiers have died by suicide while off duty so far this year. An earlier Haaretz report found that 22 soldiers died by suicide on duty in 2025, the highest rate in the Israeli military over the past 15 years. Israeli media have linked the rise in military suicides to the psychological toll of the war in Gaza, which began after the October 7, 2023, attack. No further details on the two latest cases were immediately available.