Under a framework examining what is increasingly described as moral injury and the silence surrounding it among Israeli soldiers, writer Tom Levinson published an extended report in Haaretz documenting testimonies of soldiers who returned from Gaza facing severe internal conflict and psychological distress.
Testimonies from the Field: Trauma Beyond Combat
The report opens with the account of Yuval, a 34 year old software engineer sitting in Tel Aviv, visibly unsettled. He describes his deepest fear not as legal consequences, but as retaliation linked to what he witnessed and participated in during operations in Khan Younis.
He recounts a critical moment when his unit stormed a location believed to house militants, only to find an elderly man and three unarmed boys. All were shot dead during the raid.
Yuval describes his shock when his battalion commander spat on the bodies while shouting degrading insults. He remained silent, later describing himself as a coward unable to respond, stating that no amount of prayer could compensate for what had taken place.
Moral Fracture and Complicity
Levinson then presents the testimony of Maya, a philosophy student who served as a human resources officer in an armoured unit. She describes her life as divided into two incompatible realities.
Maya recounts an incident at a military site in southern Gaza where five unarmed Palestinians were killed by gunfire and subsequently buried with a bulldozer, reportedly to prevent the spread of disease.
She also describes witnessing soldiers humiliating a bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainee while laughing. The incident left a lasting psychological impact. Maya states that she felt overwhelmed by hypocrisy, questioning how someone who viewed herself as ethical and committed to humanitarian work could remain silent in such a moment. She adds that the image of the detainee continues to haunt her, driving compulsive behaviour in an attempt to cope.
Suppressed Incidents and Delayed Reckoning
Another testimony comes from Yehuda, who served at the same location. He witnessed an officer kill an unarmed Palestinian who had raised his hands in surrender. The incident, he states, was later classified as the killing of a militant.
Yehuda’s psychological confrontation came later, while visiting the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Standing before a painting by Francisco Goya depicting a defenceless man facing execution, he experienced a breakdown. The scene mirrored what he had witnessed in Gaza, triggering uncontrollable emotional distress.
He describes ongoing feelings of shame, questioning how he became someone who remained passive instead of acting.
Reports of Abuse and Institutional Silence
Levinson also highlights testimony from Eitan, who witnessed interrogations conducted by Unit 504. He recounts severe abuse inflicted on detainees, including methods described as brutal and degrading. The screams of one prisoner, he states, continue to resonate with him, undermining his previous belief in the ethical conduct of the military.
Eitan raises concerns about undisclosed practices within detention facilities and the long-term psychological cost borne by soldiers exposed to such actions.
Persistent Psychological Impact
A sniper, whose identity remains undisclosed, describes recurring nightmares. He explains that through the sniper scope, targets appear extremely close, making it impossible to forget the faces of those he killed, despite efforts by medical professionals to encourage detachment from past events.
Similarly, Ran, an air force officer, describes planning airstrikes he knew would result in civilian casualties. Initially driven by retaliation, he later experienced severe internal conflict, struggling to reconcile operational duties with everyday civilian life.
Ran states that he eventually left service, believing he was betraying his own moral framework. He now engages in self-directed psychological distress, searching for images of victims to determine whether he was responsible for their deaths.
A Crisis of Identity Within the Military
Levinson frames these accounts as evidence of a broader identity crisis. The Israeli military, he notes, has attempted to reframe these conditions as “identity injury” rather than moral injury, a distinction that carries political implications.
According to Gil Zalsman, head of the National Council for Suicide Prevention, clinics are experiencing a significant increase in cases. He explains that moral injury requires a different form of treatment centred on self-forgiveness, a process many find unattainable.
Silence, Stigma, and Internalised Conflict
The report concludes by highlighting the silence surrounding these experiences. Many soldiers avoid speaking openly due to fear of being labelled weak or disloyal within a societal environment that emphasises strength and retaliation.
As a result, many choose to endure psychological distress privately rather than confront the moral implications of their actions.
These testimonies represent an attempt to break that silence and expose the unseen psychological scars carried by soldiers. They serve as a warning that the human cost of war extends beyond its immediate victims.
It also impacts those who carry out orders, leaving them in prolonged confrontation with their own actions and an internal reality they struggle to reconcile.
