“I Smell and See Burned Bodies All the Time”: Israeli Soldier Commits Suicide After Taking Part in Gaza Genocide and Lebanon War
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- A 24-year-old Israeli soldier living in occupied Safad, called Daniel Edri, set himself on fire yesterday. His burned body was found inside his car in a forest near Safad. Edri had served in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon during his reserve duty.
The soldier’s mother said: “He told me he had seen horrors and said, ‘Mom, I constantly smell the burned bodies and see them everywhere.'”
Israeli media report that the soldier had severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his participation in the genocide in Gaza and the war in Lebanon. Edri told medical professionals in recent months that he battled suicidal thoughts and severe mental health decline.
Edri’s mental health worsened following the death of two friends on October 7, 2023. His sister said that after their deaths, Edri wanted to join the reserves and fight in Gaza. He served in Gaza and Lebanon until his discharge in late November 2024.
He told health workers about seeing dead bodies and the smell of corpses haunting him. His sister said, he had violent outbursts and broke their mother’s house. He wrote to a friend: “Listen, brother, I’m losing it. I’m dangerous. I feel like a ticking bomb.”
His family requests a military funeral and burial in a military cemetery. The Defense Ministry has denied this so far, as Edri was not on active reserve duty at his death. Families of soldiers who died by suicide after discharge and were recognized as war casualties may apply for military honors, but such funerals remain rare.
Since the genocide began, the Israeli military reports that at least 40 active-duty soldiers, mostly reservists, have killed themselves. No official body tracks suicides among discharged soldiers, but media monitoring shows at least 11 reservists ended their lives amid mental health struggles linked to service.
