During a Knesset discussion on recognizing soldiers who took their own lives, lawmaker Michael Biton on Monday asked the IDF’s Manpower Directorate to present within two weeks the medical investigation into the death of reserve soldier Joshua (Josh) Boone and to examine whether he can be retroactively recognized as a fallen IDF soldier.
The discussion was held by the special committee overseeing the removal of bureaucratic barriers, chaired by Biton, against the backdrop of Boone’s death. Boone, a lone soldier who served about 750 days of reserve duty during the Swords of Iron war, was found dead last week at his home in Beersheba. The military decided not to recognize him as a fallen soldier, classifying him instead as having “died after his service,” and he was buried in a civilian funeral. The circumstances of his death have not been cleared for publication.
Biton said during the discussion that Boone’s commanders were aware of the mental distress he was dealing with, including the fact that he had been hospitalized between periods of reserve duty.
Representing the IDF at the meeting was Col. Inbar Sitbon, head of the Casualties and Missing Persons Department in the Manpower Directorate. She cited the conclusions of a committee led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz, noting that a professional panel examines each case of suicide involving a reservist who was not under an active call-up order. If a causal link is found between military service and the decision to take one’s life, the bereaved family is entitled to support.
Questioning Boone’s release from reserve duty given his mental state, Biton asked: “Would anyone imagine releasing from the army a soldier who lost both legs and is hospitalized at Soroka?” Lt. Col. Carmel Kala from the Medical Corps responded that patient discharges are made based on professional decisions and on a case-by-case basis.
During the discussion, lawmaker Ofer Cassif cited data showing a sharp rise in the proportion of combat soldiers among those who died by suicide, from 42 percent before the war to 88 percent since it began.
Family members of other soldiers who took their own lives also attended the meeting, including relatives of Assaf Dagan and Roi Wasserstein, who described the difficulties they face in seeking recognition for their loved ones and in obtaining appropriate support as bereaved families.
Ohad Neimark, CEO of the nonprofit “When the Strong Are Revealed” and founder of community defense battalions near the Gaza border, told lawmakers: “I know what it’s like to sit with a friend over coffee and two days later identify him at the Be’eri base. Not long ago I sat with an officer from a sensitive unit who fought on October 7 in Be’eri and Kfar Aza. He went home, returned to work, did what was expected, and for a full year no one, including himself, understood that something deep inside had broken.”