Boohoohoohoo

The heart-wrenching psychological trauma of Israeli soldiers — how could the activists trying to break the Gaza blockade be so cruel?

The difficult images of Israeli commandos tied up and bloody on the deck of the Marmara that were published by Turkish newspapers have had significant effects on soldiers who have been away from the battlefield for more than a year.

Ynet learned that at least four Navy combat soldiers have recently contacted the Defense Ministry to report that the media images of the injured soldiers have instigated a worsening in their mental and psychiatric conditions.

One of the soldiers, who was released from the military just last summer after serving in one of the Navy's secret units, recently contacted the Defense Ministry rehabilitation department with a request that the depositions on his condition be updated after the images of the clashes on the Marmara flooded him once again with the difficult images he was confronted with during his service.

This same young man enlisted to the IDF with no medical or psychological conditions. However, due to the nature of his service, he was persistently exposed to threat. In the deposition on his condition, he reported that he did not receive any training on how to deal with such situations and their repercussions, one of which is that he has a hard time falling asleep at night.

His condition then worsened, and he suffered from nightmares, prompting his mental health officer to hospitalize him in a psychiatric ward.

I had wondered what psychological trauma was endured by the families of the nine people who died on that boat. But thank you Yediot Ahronot for pointing me to the real tragedy.

Comments

[Helena Cobban]

Oh Issandr, fabulous find!

[Matthew Doye]

Obviously this is far more important than the 82% of children in Gaza who develop Moderate or Severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Prevelance of PTSD among Palestinian children in Gaza Strip, Arabpsynet Journal No.2 April-May-June 2004).

Perhaps those highly trained killers poor soldiers should sue the flotilla passengers for throwing themselves in front of the bullets.

[Prestwick]

Words fail me, they really do.

Perhaps the IDF's finest should go and pay a visit to those British, Dutch and French UN Peacekeepers who had to watch the horrors the wars in the Balkans during the 1990s.

They suffered in silence and with dignity. Not like these guys especially when you see the suffering going on just miles away in Gaza.