The Israeli Mental Health Association has revealed a staggering surge of 950% in the number of Israelis seeking psychological support since the commencement of the occupying regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli organization’s findings indicate a surge in inquiries to their call center, Middle East Monitor reported, citing a report by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation on Friday.
The number of inquiries reached approximately 172,000, with around 33,000 requests per month, including 44,000 in the initial month, the report said.
Israel’s Walla website also quoted a statement by the organization that the number of daily inquiries has surged to 920 since the start of the war.
The organization has also enlisted over 150 volunteers to provide much-needed psychological support to those seeking help.
Moreover, in another report by the Eran mental health crisis hotline, a sharp increase of 950% in calls involving depression, acute mental distress and loneliness was reported.
On October 7 alone, the organization dealt with more than 3,500 incoming calls. This compares to 500 calls on a routine day.
Also the number of children and teenagers under the age of 17 phoning in has surged by 125% compared to last year, with a significant rise observed during the initial weeks of the conflict.
In late February, the Israeli minister for military affairs, Yoav Gallant, highlighted the heavy toll the war was inflicting on the regime’s military.
“We are paying a very high price in our ranks…The costs we incur in terms of the numbers of deaths and injuries are very high,” he said.
The latest statistics revealed by the ministry’s rehabilitation department shows that more than 11,000 Israeli forces and veterans deal with psychological injury (which is 1 in 5 wounded soldiers) and about 8,000 of them are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Friday, the Israeli military admitted that 600 of its forces had been killed since the onset of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
Reporting the casualties, Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said 3,193 forces had also been injured since then, of whom 268 are still under treatment and the condition of 26 is critical.
Since the Tel Aviv regime launched the war on October 7 last year in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, around 33,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 75,800 others.
