A nation under strain: Official data tracks rise of depression, stress in year after Oct 7 |
More Israelis reported experiencing depression or stress in 2024 than they reported the year before, as the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught and ensuing war frayed nerves, especially among people living in communities near the Gaza border, new data released Monday showed.
The socio-economic snapshot published by the Central Bureau of Statistics also showed that life expectancies dropped slightly in 2024, and while births were up overall, a steep decline in births was recorded nine months after the devastating attack.
While overall life satisfaction among those aged 20 and older remained high and largely unchanged in 2024 over 2023, fewer Israelis believed their lives would improve in the future. The share estimating their lives would not improve or would worsen rose from 30.7% in 2023 to 33.8% in 2024.
Other mental health indicators also worsened. The share of Israelis reporting depression climbed from 25.5% in 2023 to 33.9% in 2024, while those reporting stress rose from 58.2% to 67.9%.
The impact was especially pronounced in communities near the Gaza border. In localities alongside the border fence, the number of people with psychological disabilities jumped from 1,600 in 2023 to about 8,600 in 2024. When including Gaza border communities further from the Strip as well, the figure rose from 9,500 to........