Skip to main content

IDF commander seeks help for traumatized soldiers

A veteran Israeli commander is helping raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder and raise money to allow some of his former soldiers to obtain treatment for the PTSD they suffer as a result of the 2014 war in Gaza.
Israeli soldiers stand at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip July 31, 2014. Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive saying it was days from achieving its core goal of destroying all Islamist guerrilla cross-border attack tunnels, but a soaring Palestinian civilian toll has triggered international alarm. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) - GM1EA7V16RK01
Read in 

“We heard a loud boom. … The first missile hit [Roi] Peles, a direct hit that killed him on the spot. … The second missile hit the building itself, injuring 12 soldiers. … It was the worst night of my life … each one of us is still stuck there, in Beit Hanoun.”

Those are the words of Tomer Toledo, Or Levi and Yonatan Herblin, recorded on camera. In the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, they had been soldiers in Nahal Orev, a company of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). All of them were wounded in battle. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.