A former police officer recognized as a disabled veteran was seriously injured after he self-immolated outside the home of the head of the Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Department in Neve Ilan, west of Jerusalem, on Friday morning.
The former officer, who was injured during service before the Israel-Hamas war began, was recognized as a disabled veteran by the ministry's department in 2013, the ministry confirmed. The former officer also suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Firefighters arrived at the scene after reports of a fire outside an apartment building.
Magen David Adom paramedics treated the ex-officer, who suffered from burns over 100% of his body and was seriously injured, Army Radio's Doron Kadosh reported.
The paramedics evacuated him to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, MDA confirmed.
The hospital updated that he is sedated in an intensive care unit on a ventilator.
Ex-officer involved in 2013 incident with 'mentally unstable person'
The ex-police officer's disability was caused by a 2013 incident when a "mentally unstable person" threw a rock at him, hitting him in the head, Army Radio's Doron Kadosh reported.
This led to him receiving approval for a 30% disability recognition from Israel's National Insurance Institute, including PTSD and physical disability.
The ex-officer has been involved in several violent instances since his injury, the report highlighted.
He has spent at least the past two years attempting to obtain 100% disability recognition and benefits, including entitlement to housing solutions, but these attempts have been unsuccessful, Kadosh noted.
He is divorced with three children.
"The recent tragedies are not isolated incidents but a direct result of a system that for years struggled to deal with the open wounds of soldiers who returned from battle with deep psychological scars, and that only in recent years began a process of repair," leaders of the “When the Strong Are Revealed” association that supports wounded and disabled IDF soldiers, said, in a statement.
"We are watching our heroes collapse before our eyes, not because they are weak, but because there must be an effective and comprehensive response for our wounded. We cannot wait for the next funeral."
The organization called on the government, the Defense Ministry, and the Rehabilitation Department to establish a national emergency task force to treat soldiers and those suffering from psychological wounds.
Increase in soldier suicide attempts since October 7
Between January 2024 and July 2025, 279 IDF soldiers attempted suicide, a Knesset report released on Tuesday revealed.
Also, for every soldier who died by suicide in that time frame, there were seven more documented attempts of a soldier who tried to end their own life, according to the report.
Addressing the spike in suicide rates, the report showed that 124 soldiers had committed suicide between 2017 and July 2025. Eleven of these soldiers were women.
Seventeen percent of the soldiers who committed suicide had met with an IDF mental health officer within two months before their death, according to the data documented in the past year, until July 2025.
Keshet Neev contributed to this report.