Alex Miller, a 23-year-old discharged IDF combat soldier originally from the United States, recently died by apparent suicide after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his military service.
According to the Katzrin municipality in the Golan Heights, where his father Danny lives, Miller was moderately wounded in a 2022 car-ramming attack in the West Bank while serving in a combat unit. Despite undergoing a difficult rehabilitation process, he later insisted on returning to military service alongside his comrades.
The municipality said Miller was also deeply affected by the death of his close friend Sgt. First Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, 21, who was killed during fighting in southern Gaza in 2025.
According to reports, he moved back to the US after he was discharged and was working as a security guard. He was reportedly in Miami at the time of his death.
Miller was his father’s only child and required special parental approval to serve in combat.
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“We mourn this terrible loss, share in the family’s profound grief and send a big embrace to his dear father, Danny Miller, during this unbearably difficult time,” the municipality said in a statement.
Reservists of the 205th ‘Iron Fist’ Armored Brigade operate in the Gaza Strip in a handout photo issued by the military on April 14, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Suicides and suicide attempts among IDF soldiers and veterans have surged since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and the subsequent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. At least 60 active and reserve soldiers died by suicide between October 2023 and April of this year, including 10 this year alone, according to a Haaretz report.
A report published by the Knesset Research and Information Center last October found that between January 2024 and July 2025, 279 active soldiers attempted to take their own lives.
According to the report, combat soldiers made up 78 percent of all suicide cases in Israel in 2024, a sharp rise from previous years: The rate hovered between 42% and 45% from 2017 to 2022, and stood at just 17% in 2023.
IDF soldiers place Israeli flags on the graves of soldiers during the flag-laying ceremony in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on April 19, 2026, ahead of Memorial Day. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
As for former soldiers, an August 2025 committee found that, as of the report, 15 civilians died by suicide linked to their military service since the onset of the war.
Most recent suicides among Israeli soldiers and veterans were driven by psychological trauma from the ongoing war in Gaza, including prolonged deployments in combat zones, witnessing harrowing scenes and the loss of friends.
While the IDF has said that it was drawing systemic conclusions and stepping up its mental health measures, some reservists have accused the government of failing to do enough to solve the problem.
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