Chair of the Knesset's National Security Committee MK Zvika Fogel submitted a bill on Thursday to amend the Military Cemeteries Law, seeking full state recognition and eligibility for military burial for soldiers and reservists who die by suicide due to service-related psychological injuries.
The move follows recommendations by a special committee led by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz, who reviewed cases from the Israel-Hamas war. According to the bill, recognition would apply when a direct causal link is established between service, combat trauma, and death.
Under the proposal, discharged soldiers and reservists who took their own lives as a result of combat stress or other psychological harm incurred during service would be eligible for military burial, the same as those who died from other service-related injuries.
The bill aims to close a gap left by existing policy, which provides family support pathways but falls short of full recognition of burial rights.
The bill’s explanatory notes state that intensive and prolonged reserve duty can exact a heavy psychological toll that may surface years after service, meaning such deaths should not be treated as unrelated civilian events. Instead, they should be recognized as stemming directly from a mission carried out on behalf of the state.
“Just as I amended the law to ensure state funerals for firefighters who fell in the line of duty, so here too,” Fogel said. “A state that sends soldiers into battle must also take responsibility for the psychological price they pay and care for them and their families with dignity,” he added.
Civilian suicides to be considered fallen soldiers
On Tuesday, the IDF and Defense Ministry announced that civilian suicides would be recognised as similar to fallen soldiers if the individual killed themselves within two years of their service during the Israel-Hamas War, and if certain criteria apply.
The Almoz-led panel said recognition would not be limited to combat troops and would extend to non-combat roles across populations, following a review of the causal link between service and death.
When a civilian who has completed service is referred to the IDF for recognition, commanders, family members, police, or the media may submit reports to support the determination. Until now, the IDF had been responding on a case-by-case basis without a formalized framework for orders.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.