The Israeli army and the Defense Ministry announced that they will grant the special status of “died after service” to soldiers who served in the war on Gaza and other fronts and died by suicide within up to two years after their discharge.
The designation aims at expanding support for families and make them eligible for a monthly stipend from the Defense Ministry for two years, according to a report Tuesday by Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
The army 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, which 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 Israeli army, personnel officials would verify within hours of a death that the individual had served in its forces within the previous two years, either as a combat or noncombat soldier.
Military support would continue for seven days through the mourning period, the newspaper said.
Afterward, the Defense Ministry’s standard recognition committee, together with the Israeli army, 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 Israeli army fallen soldier or as a disabled veteran who died of service-related injuries,” the committee said.
Instead, it noted, “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 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 Israeli army said the decision to grant the new status reflects an effort to preserve the formal designation of fallen soldiers while still providing assistance to families whose loved ones died after service.
It said 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.
According to the army, 15 former soldiers who served in the war on Gaza have died by suicide to date, though officials say the number could rise.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said 16 soldiers committed suicide in 2025 until August due to harsh combat conditions related to the war in the Gaza Strip.
A senior military official told the Israeli Broadcasting Authority that the army fears the phenomenon will spread, as seven reservists took their own lives in July.
In 2024, 21 Israeli soldiers committed suicide, including 12 reservists, whereas in 2023, the year that saw the launch of the Gaza war in October, 17 Israeli soldiers took their own lives.
A report by the Knesset Research and Information Center released last October showed that for every Israeli soldier who died by suicide between January 2024 and July 2025, there were an additional seven documented suicide attempts.
