Rise in suicide attempts among young Gaza evacuees
Forum for Israel reports deterioration in situation of evacuated Gush Katif teenagers; teens dropping out of school; among adults heart diseases, divorce rise
Suicide attempts, heart attacks, and deterioration of family life are among the symptoms affecting the lives of former Gush Katif settlers evacuated from Gaza last summer.
The Knesset's sub-committee for finance discussed on Tuesday the effects the disengagement has had on the evacuees and their families.
The Forum for Israel outlined the distress of evacuated families and problems affecting teenagers of the evacuated settler community.
The Forum reported 12 suicide attempts among teenage settlers since the evacuation last August, and pointed to a rise in suicidal thoughts and eating disorders among teenagers.
Social workers said teenagers find it difficult to develop relationships and increasingly abuse alcohol and drugs.
Nine settlers have been received in psychiatric hospitals.
The committee heard that 30 percent of teenagers either failed to integrate in new schools or failed their final exams.
Heart attacks
The Forum also linked an increase in heart diseases among evacuated adults to the distress of the evacuation.
The Forum said 50 divorce cases of settler couple have been disputed in the courts since August 2005, with most cases relate to financial hardship.
About 51 percent of the evacuees are unemployed.
