Full Breakdown
Israel’s Ongoing Trauma: Mental-Health Fallout and Calls for Accountability After Oct 7
By Drooid · · How we work
The Oct 7 Attack and Immediate Aftermath
On October 7 2023, Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest assault in Israel’s history, killing civilians and sparking a war that reshaped daily life. Families heard the news from first-responders, while many, including school-bus driver Haim Ben-Arye, stayed home to watch the unfolding violence on television.
Personal Tragedy Illustrates Hidden Wounds
Haim Ben-Arye, a longtime driver devoted to his six adult children and his wife Irit, helped evacuate children from Kibbutz Be’eri on the night of the attack. Exhausted and “in shock,” he drove to a remote location on October 25 and took his own life. Irit recalled his silence after the attack and described him as “all heart.”
Escalating Mental-Health Crisis
Clalit, Israel’s largest public-health insurer covering roughly five million people, reports a surge in psychological distress. Its study with the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute estimates that 60,000 Israelis developed clinical PTSD between October 2023 and December 2025, half of whom are Clalit members. Depression affected 34 % of respondents in January 2024, anxiety 27 % (now 20 %), and PTSD 32 % (now 20 %).
> “The population has endured cumulative stress since 2020, from coronavirus lockdowns and social tension over judicial reforms to the Hamas incursion, the war in Gaza, and Iranian missile attacks,” — Prof. Amir Krivoy
Professional Response and Emerging Practices
Clalit’s mental-health teams have adapted to the surge. Developmental psychologist Nufar Bar-Lipshatz explains that limited staff forced the clinic to group three- and four-year-olds with their parents for therapy sessions. When a siren sounded during one session, the group was moved to a shelter for yoga, play, and laughter. The fund has also retrained primary-care physicians, added mental-health coaches, deployed digital screening tools, and introduced an AI-driven predictive system to identify patients before crises emerge.
Calls for Formal Inquiry into Security Failures
Former Shin Bet deputy director Israel Hasson has urged a public commission to examine why intelligence did not prevent the Oct 7 assault.
> “I sat through the Shin Bet's investigation for four and a half hours,” — Israel Hasson
> “The Agranat Commission said that when there is intent and capability, you do not wait for a warning,” — Israel Hasson
> “If the military echelon says one thing, it does not absolve the political echelon of responsibility,” — Israel Hasson
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The source describing Ben-Arye’s suicide lists October 25 as the date of his death, yet the date ledger classifies it as a *scheduled* date, creating uncertainty about whether the suicide has already occurred. Clalit’s prevalence rates do not break down impacts by region or age group, leaving gaps in understanding the crisis among children in evacuated communities.
What’s Next
Israel’s first national election since the attack is scheduled for October 27, where candidates will debate accountability and proposals for expanding mental-health services. Hasson’s call for a commission suggests a formal inquiry may be launched before the vote, though no timeline has been announced.