An Israeli soldier shot himself dead at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel after returning from fighting in the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Thursday.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the soldier, a member of the Golani Brigade, committed suicide after he was questioned by military police.

The soldier had left Gaza to rest at the base, where military police investigators were waiting for him, Haaretz said.

A probe against him had been opened about a month ago, and his commanders had decided to confiscate his weapon. However, he shot himself with the gun of a sleeping friend.

One of close friends killed in bomb explosion

According to the newspaper, the investigation was “not related to his behaviour,” without giving further details.

One of the soldier’s close friends was killed in a bomb explosion in Gaza last month.

According to Israeli media, an increasing number of soldiers have committed suicide since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

On Sunday, a reserve soldier killed himself in a forest near the northern city of Safed due to psychological problems from the Gaza war.

At least 21 Israeli soldiers die by suicide in 2024

Figures given by the Israel Hayom newspaper showed that 21 soldiers had ended their lives in 2024.

In May, the Israeli daily Haaretz said that 42 soldiers had committed suicide since the start of the Gaza war.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing nearly 57,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.