'The emotional cost has been unbelievable': How three years of war have changed Israelis - study

The Israeli voluntary organization ERAN has witnessed an unprecedented surge in emotional distress calls since the onset of the three-year Israeli-Hamas conflict. In the first year alone, the hotline fielded 316,514 calls, which increased to 320,486 in the second year and then decreased slightly to 291,911 in the third year. Of these calls, 21,829 involved suicidal thoughts, intentions, or actions, accounting for an average of 2.35% of all inquiries over the three-year period.

ERAN's CEO, David Koren, emphasized that the rise in distress cannot be attributed solely to the war, but rather to a combination of factors stemming from the traumatic experience. Young people and adolescents, in particular, showed a significant increase in suicidal thoughts, rising from 2.6% in the first year to 4.4% by the third year. Soldiers also experienced a surge in calls concerning violence and sexual abuse, climbing from 5% to 10% in the second year, and settling at 8% in the third year.

Loneliness among the general population rose from 28% of total inquiries in the first year to 41% by the third year. The organization's CEO noted that the emotional cost of the war has been "unbelievable," affecting individuals of all ages, leading to a decrease in patience and connection within Israeli society.