The Tiberias Municipality announced on Friday that Captain Yosef Haim Ashraf, from the 99th Reserve Division’s transport unit, is the officer who was found dead yesterday in the Switzerland Forest near Ramat Poria and is suspected to have taken his own life.
The officer, a resident of Tiberias, was on active reserve duty at the time and will therefore be recognized as a fallen IDF soldier.
The IDF stated that following the incident, an investigation was opened by the Military Police Investigations Unit. Upon completion, the findings will be forwarded to the Military Advocate General for review.
This marks the 17th soldier to take their own life this year.
Two days ago, a discussion on IDF efforts to prevent suicides among service members was held at the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Personnel.
IDF Personnel Directorate Chief, Brig. Gen. Amir Vadmani, stated during the discussion that while there is an increase in suicide cases in the IDF, it does not constitute an unusual spike in incidents.
He noted that 54 soldiers have taken their lives since the beginning of 2023. In 2023, there were 17 recorded suicide cases in the military; in 2024, the number rose to 21; and this year, it currently stands at 17.
Vadmani declined requests from the committee chair and Knesset members to provide data on the number of former soldiers who took their own lives after completing their service and who had requests to be recognized as fallen IDF soldiers.
MK Stern criticized the refusal: “We have a question, and you can answer it so we can move forward. Do you have the number? I’m asking a simple question, and you have the answer.”
The chair of the Knesset Lobby for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and initiator of the discussion, Knesset Member Keti Shitrit, expressed outrage: “It is unreasonable that we do not receive concrete data from the army regarding the number of service members approaching military mental health assessment committees. I demand that the army establish a committee with clear authority and goals, fully transparent to us.”
Source link
