JERUSALEM โ As the war in Gaza winds down and the last of hostages taken on Oct. 7 return home, Israeli mental health leaders are urging the country to prepare for a prolonged and complex recovery phase. The next front is psychological, they say, as posttraumatic stress disorder and other trauma reactions emerge across communities.
Gila Tolub, co-founder and executive director of ICAR Collective, said that while national relief at the hostages’ return is real, it masks deep and unresolved grief for many families. Tolub said the public joy may intensify the loneliness of those whose loved ones will never return.
โThe war is over. The hostages are home. But the healing is just beginning,โ Tolub said. โTrue recovery requires that collective healing make room for individual grief. A nation capable of uniting in war must also learn to hold space for mourning, to honor the living and the lost at once.โ
Tolub and ICAR call for a systems-level response that goes beyond hospital care. Their plan prioritizes eight imperatives, including building resilient and inclusive mental health infrastructure, expanding community-based supports, and integrating trauma education into schools and workplaces. These measures aim to make trauma support accessible outside of clinics, in homes, schools, and neighborhoods.
Clinicians and community leaders note that many Israelis have been operating in survival mode for nearly two years. That adrenaline-driven coping will often break once the acute threat recedes, leading to fatigue, anxiety, emotional numbness, and surges of intrusive memories. Experts stress that such reactions are predictable and not a sign of personal weakness.
Survivors of the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival and other attacks provide stark examples of long-term need. Community networks and grassroots projects have played a central role in immediate support, but leaders say they cannot substitute for sustained national investment in mental health services and research into effective treatments. ICAR has worked with academic and clinical partners to map gaps and scale promising interventions.
Innovation in treatment is underway. Tolub has pointed to new approaches being studied in Israel, from condensed trauma therapy protocols to emerging research on psychedelic-assisted therapies as potential adjuncts for severe, treatment-resistant trauma. Advocates emphasize rigorous evaluation and careful clinical oversight.
Leaders also warn of a secondary crisis: suicide and self-harm among deeply affected survivors and relatives. Recent tragic deaths tied to lingering trauma underscore the urgency of expanding crisis intervention, suicide prevention programs, and targeted follow-up for those at highest risk. Community vigilance and lower stigma are part of the prevention equation.
ICARโs model emphasizes partnerships across public health, NGOs, academia, and funders. The goal is to build capacity that can identify people quietly struggling and connect them quickly to appropriate support. Tolub says every citizen can play a role in noticing distress and facilitating help.
Funding, policy, and training decisions made now will shape Israelโs long-term resilience, Tolub and others argue. They call for durable budgets for mental health, workforce expansion, school-based programs, accessible telehealth, and research to find what works at scale. Without these investments, experts warn, the quieter waves of trauma could exact a heavy social and economic toll.
For many Israelis, the path forward will require holding two truths at once: relief for lives saved and persistent care for lives forever altered. Tolubโs message to policymakers and the public is simple. Prepare for the long haul. Make room for grief. Build systems to heal. In doing so, Israel can position itself to recover not only materially but also psychologically.
This article is based on verified information from ICAR Collective, JNS, The Media Line, Times of Israel, and CBS News.