Israeli Combat Veterans Condemn Government Neglect Amid Budget Cuts for PTSD Care

Retired Sergeant Major Avichai Levi, a combat veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sharply criticized the Israeli Finance Ministry's recent decision not to allocate additional funds for treating combat trauma. In a passionate interview on the morning news program "HaOlam HaBoker," Levi expressed deep frustration but said he was not surprised by the development, calling it a problem he has warned about since the start of the war. He revealed that early in the conflict, he had warned Knesset officials about the expected surge in PTSD cases and pleaded for urgent budget increases to prevent a collapse in rehabilitation services.

Levi also blamed the Defense Ministry for mismanaging existing funds, emphasizing that the money is meant for soldiers who returned mentally wounded from the front lines but found the state unprepared to support them adequately. He described the bureaucratic struggle over funding as a human tragedy, sharing a harrowing personal story of a severe anxiety attack triggered by a routine task of clipping his infant daughter's nails, during which he accidentally hurt her. Overcome with emotion, Levi recounted calling his mother in desperation, fearing he might harm his child.

He framed his experience as symptomatic of a broader systemic failure and accused the state of wanting to "hide" combat veterans, whom he said have become a burden and invisible to society. Levi highlighted the grim reality of over 100 suicides among veterans, recognized or not, underscoring the deadly consequences of neglect. He concluded by lamenting that not only the government but the entire society has forgotten these soldiers, forcing him to rely on crowdfunding just to survive.