One in four Israelis using hard drugs amid Gaza genocide and regional wars
One in four Israelis now engages in harmful substance use as the psychological fallout from Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its expanding wars across the Middle East reshapes daily life, according to research cited by Haaretz.
The Israeli Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said substance misuse had risen sharply since October 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the rate stood at one in 10 Israelis. It climbed to one in seven during the pandemic before reaching about 25 percent after October 2023.
The centre found that sedative use had increased by 2.5 times, while the consumption of opiates and stimulants had almost doubled. Alcohol and cannabis use had also risen.
Among people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the rate of substance misuse now stands at 54.2 percent.
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Prof Shauli Lev-Ran, the centre’s founder, told Haaretz that repeated crises had entrenched habits formed during periods of extreme pressure.
“The more stress there is, the more people use,” he said, warning that consumption often continues even after immediate stress levels fall.
Accounts from users describe ketamine, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis and prescription sedatives becoming routine tools for enduring missile alerts, funerals, military mobilisation and constant reports of death.
One man said his drug use escalated as Israel’s wars expanded, describing substances as a way to distance himself from “all the blood and death”. Another said people had taken amphetamines during funerals after October 2023.
Others described taking ketamine before entering bomb shelters or using stimulants to remain productive at work despite sleeplessness and anxiety.
The increase extends beyond nightlife. Interviewees described open drug use in homes, workplaces, bars and public shelters, while encrypted messaging platforms and digital payments have made substances easier to obtain.
Dr Roy Zucker, who works in harm reduction, said more than 80 percent of drug-related emergency cases involved a mixture of substances rather than a single drug.
Palestinian citizens of Israel have also reported turning to drugs as they watch Israel’s destruction of Gaza while facing growing repression at home.
One Palestinian said people “fell apart” after seeing Palestinians massacred in Gaza, with some choosing drugs because therapy remained inaccessible or unaffordable.
Lev-Ran warned that Israel’s continuing wars and permanent state of alert could deepen the crisis.
The prolonged violence, he said, leaves people struggling to return to ordinary life before another attack, mobilisation or military campaign begins.
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