The family of a man who took his own life while suffering post-traumatic stress disorder caused by army reserve duty in combat zones is demanding that he be recognized as a fallen soldier and given a military funeral.
Daniel Edri dies by suicide early Saturday, with his family saying that for months he had shown mental trauma from time spent in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon during the recent fighting in both areas.
Though he had been recognized as having mental health issues from his service, and had applied to be designated as suffering from PTSD, the process had not been completed.
The Israel Defense Forces maintains that military funerals are only for those who die while actively serving either in the regular army or the reserves. Daniel was not in the reserves at the time of his death.
His mother, Sigal Edri, told the Ynet outlet on Sunday that her son would tell her he could see burning and smell bodies, sometimes waking from the night in violent fits as he thought he was in the middle of combat. He had also recently spoken of ending his life because, she said, he feared living with PTSD.
“I could see it coming the whole time, and I feared it,” she said. “We were always worried about him.”
IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, in a handout cleared for publication on July 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Sigal said the family wants him to be buried in a military cemetery “as is fitting for him.”
“He lost his soul in military service and lost his life because of his military service,” she said. “If they couldn’t save his life, they must not desecrate his body and soul twice.”
Daniel had also lost two close childhood friends who were murdered by terrorists at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led thousands of attackers to invade southern Israel. The assault killed 1,200 people and triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Daniel was called up for reserve service as a driver, bringing supplies to troops fighting in the Strip. But he was also exposed to casualties from the war, including retrieving the bodies of those killed.
After the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group began attacking Israel in support of Gaza in a conflict that spiraled into open war last September, Daniel also served in Lebanon, again being exposed to horrific scenes, his mother told Ynet.
He served some 18 months of reserve duty, and during two leaves, signs of his mental condition became apparent, she said.
On both occasions he smashed items in his apartment, including his musical instruments, and punched walls until he bled, she said.
IDF troops operate at the Litani River in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, in a handout image released on November 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Even after his eventual release from reserve duty, Daniel continued to be traumatized by his experiences, she said.
Sigal said that Daniel sought assistance from the Defense Ministry, which offers treatment for PTSD sufferers, but the process of being recognized as having the condition is lengthy.
Sigal said he recently talked a lot about suicide and had previously tried to take his own life.
On Sunday he was scheduled to begin a stay at a rehabilitation retreat, “but it is already too late,” Sigal said.
Early Saturday morning Daniel was found in a burning car in a forest near Safed. He was declared dead at the scene.
Eliran Mizrahi, who took his own life on June 7, 2024, after being called back to war after suffering from two injuries and PTSD (Screenshot/X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
“He already gave his soul, why did they wait until he gave his body?” Sigal lamented to Ynet.
He is survived by his mother, two brothers, and a sister. His father died when the children were young.
In the final messages he sent to his mother, Daniel wrote “Forgive you, I’m sorry.” To his brothers, he wrote, “Remember me for the good.”
One of the brothers, after seeing the message, called Daniel and heard his last gasps, Sigal said.
The Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation department said in a statement that in February Daniel had been recognized as suffering from mental health issues, Ynet reported. The department said that it offered him various treatments but he did not turn up to take advantage of them.
The IDF said in a response that by law, fallen soldiers are only those who are killed while in active service in the army or as reservists. Since Daniel was not in reserve duty at the time of his death he cannot be recognized as a fallen soldier and is not eligible for a military funeral.
In June last year, the IDF said it would recognize Eliran Mizrahi, a reservist with PTSD who took his own life, as a fallen soldier, and that he would receive a military burial as his family had requested.
The IDF had initially refused to recognize Mizrahi as a fallen soldier, claiming he was not on duty at the time of his death. However, an army investigation found that he, his company commander, and another soldier had met up as part of preparations for operational activity they were due to carry out in the coming days after receiving a summons for reserve duty.
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