The IDF and the Defense Ministry announced on Monday that they will grant a special status to soldiers who served in the war with Hamas and later died by suicide after their discharge, in a move aimed at expanding support for bereaved families.
Under the decision, soldiers who served in the war and died by suicide within up to two years after the war’s end will be recognized as having “died after service.” The designation will make their families eligible for a monthly stipend from the Defense Ministry. The IDF said the approach to recognition would be “broad and compassionate,” and that officials may later consider extending the two-year period.
The policy follows the work of a special committee chaired by former head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz. The panel examined how the military and state respond to the families of regular and reserve service members who took their own lives after completing service, in circumstances that may be linked to their military duty.
The committee recommended that such individuals be buried in civilian cemeteries with civilian headstones, but with military accompaniment, including a commander’s eulogy, the presence of soldiers and initial family support. According to the IDF, personnel officials would verify within hours of a death that the individual had served in the IDF within the previous two years, either as a combat or noncombat soldier.
Military support would continue through the mourning period. Afterward, the Defense Ministry’s standard recognition committee, together with the IDF, would examine the circumstances to determine whether there was a connection between the apparent causes of the suicide and the individual’s military service during the war. The review would include consultations with commanders and assessments of the soldier’s service record.
If a link is established, the individual would not be recognized as an IDF fallen soldier or as a disabled veteran who died of service-related injuries. Instead, they would receive the designation of having “died after service,” entitling their family to a monthly allowance and long-term support from the Defense Ministry.
The IDF stressed that this is an existing legal status and said the decision reflects an effort to preserve the formal designation of fallen soldiers while still providing assistance to families whose loved ones died after service. Factors considered in each case will include length and nature of service, exposure to unusual or traumatic events, proximity between discharge and death and other personal circumstances.
The committee included mental health professionals, legal advisers and senior officials from the Defense Ministry’s Families and Commemoration Department. Its recommendations focus on systemic policy rather than individual cases. The proposals were approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
According to the IDF, 15 former soldiers who served in the war have died by suicide to date, though officials say the number could rise. Those recognized under the new status will have their names inscribed in the Hall of Remembrance at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, but not on unit memorials or at official unit ceremonies, at least for now.
The Combat Trauma Forum, an advocacy group, welcomed the decision, calling it “an important step.” In a statement, the group said it was vital for the military to recognize regular and reserve soldiers who died by suicide following traumatic experiences in service, and urged the state to continue expanding support for veterans suffering from combat-related trauma.