Israel's National Insurance Institute has pulled the plug on mental health funding for families of freed hostages, even as the nation grapples with what experts are calling an unprecedented mental health crisis.
"I couldn't even start therapy while my mother was in captivity because I was just trying to survive each day," one daughter of a former hostage told N12 News. "Now that I've finally begun healing, they're telling me it's over." Her therapy, which only started in March 2024, will end abruptly due to the funding cut.
The decision comes as mental health professionals warn of a "psychological tsunami" hitting Israel. One in three Israelis now shows symptoms of PTSD, while experts estimate 300,000 new patients need professional help following October 7th's attacks.
"We are living in a mass-trauma situation," says Dr. Shlomit Bresler, who treats bereaved families and victims. "October 7th didn't just create new trauma – it ripped open old wounds and made them worse."
The trauma is everywhere: in the daily sirens, the constant drone of military aircraft, the endless stream of news about the missing, murdered, and kidnapped. Even mundane sounds have taken on sinister meanings. As one survivor put it, "It's like riding a never-ending high-speed train of trauma."
The crisis has overwhelmed Israel's mental health system. "Our main clinics are overflowing," reports Yehezkel Caine, President of Herzog Medical Center, Israel's leading mental health institution. The country faces a critical shortage of trauma-trained therapists just as demand skyrockets.
For families of returned hostages, the funding cut feels like abandonment. "They are the first point of contact for stories of horror," says Knesset Member Karine Elharrar, who slammed the decision. "Only a heartless government would cut off their mental health assistance."
The timing couldn't be worse. Prof. Ofrit Shapira Berman, a historian of Israeli trauma, explains that October 7th struck deeper than previous national traumas: "It's Israel's biggest trauma yet, not just because of its scale, but because it echoes our past traumas – the Holocaust and the Yom Kippur war. The government's failure has broken many citizens' trust in the state."
As Israel battles external enemies, an internal crisis grows. With therapy funding cut and trauma experts overwhelmed, thousands of families face an uncertain path to healing – just when they need help the most.
Israel First TV contributed to this article.
