Suicide accounts for 1/2 of IDF fatalities in 2005
By SHEERA CLAIRE FRENKEL
The army has issued tighter restrictions on soldiers' weapons because 33 soldiers committed suicide this year, said Brig.-Gen. Avi Zimer on Wednesday.
Soldiers in noncombat units will no longer be armed when on leave as part of the army's efforts to reduce the availability of weapons to soldiers, Zimer told the Knesset's Foreign Affaris and Defense Committee.
He added that the army was also seeking to increase awareness of suicidal issues and educate soldiers on the dangers of mental distress.
Zimer gave the information as part of the IDF's annual fatalities report. The number of suicides accounted for half of the 66 fatalities in the 2005 report, marking a jump from 2004 of 28 suicides.