Nearly one million Israelis sought mental health support over three years of war, with loneliness and suicide-related calls rising
Israel’s ERAN emotional first-aid service received 928,911 requests for mental health support in the three years following October 7, 2023, as prolonged war deepened loneliness and psychological distress across Israeli society, according to new data released by the nonprofit organization.
The total included 774,604 telephone calls and 154,307 contacts through digital services including WhatsApp, chat, text messages and email. The inquiries were handled by a network of 1,850 trained volunteers working with mental health professionals.
Loneliness became the most frequently reported concern, accounting for about 28% of inquiries in the first year and rising to 41% in the third. ERAN also recorded 21,829 contacts involving suicidal thoughts, intentions or actions over the three-year period, with their share of all inquiries increasing from 2% in the first year to 2.83% in the third.
Israeli active-duty soldiers and reservists accounted for about 160,000 contacts. Among children, teenagers and young adults up to age 24, the proportion of inquiries involving suicidal thoughts, intentions or actions rose from 2.6% in the first year to 4.4% in the third.
ERAN said the changing pattern does not necessarily mean overall psychological distress has eased: inquiries involving acute anxiety, trauma and loss declined as a share of contacts while loneliness and chronic emotional difficulties became more prominent.
The figures cover three years that began with the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel and continued through Israel’s war in Gaza and subsequent regional conflicts. Gaza has meanwhile endured mass displacement and widespread destruction, with more than 74,000 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023, while access to mental health care and other essential services has been severely disrupted.
