ISTANBUL

Another Israeli soldier was found dead in his house, in an apparent suicide, local media said on Monday.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing a military statement, said that Ariel Meir Taman, a reservist soldier, was found dead at his home Sunday night in southern Israel.

A military investigation has been opened to identify the cause of death, as the soldier is suspected to have taken his own life, the daily said.

Recent days have seen a marked increase in suicides among Israeli soldiers, as four others reportedly killed themselves in July alone.

According to Haaretz figures in May, a total of 42 soldiers committed suicide since the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. The military campaign has destroyed the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense 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.