The war has caused a severe mental health crisis in Israel, according to data from the NATAL trauma center. Since October 7th, there has been a 733% spike in Israelis receiving clinical treatment and a 150% increase in calls to their hotline compared to all of 2022.

“We’re encountering levels and intensities of trauma and anxiety we’ve never seen before. It’s unprecedented compared to past wars,” said NATAL CEO Efrat Shprot. “We’ll be dealing with this for decades.”

Over 10,500 soldiers have been diagnosed with combat stress injuries, though most returned to duty. Civilian casualties, evacuees, and hostage families also severely strain NATAL’s resources. Almost half of their patients are young adults aged 20-30.

Shprot explained many are still focused on physical survival and haven’t sought mental health care yet. “Entire populations in survival mode will turn to us only later, once they have the strength to process what they’ve been through.”

Please pray for the soldiers who have suffered combat stress injuries. Please pray for all those suffering from stress and anxiety due to the war. Please pray for the protection of the security forces and civilians.