A senior United Nations expert has warned that many Israeli soldiers are suffering severe psychological distress after confronting the aftermath of their actions during combat in Gaza. Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council's special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, told Sky News that numerous IDF troops are "haunted by what they have seen, what they have done."

Speaking on The World with Yalda Hakim, Albanese responded to an Israeli soldier’s interview that described arbitrary killing of civilians. She said young troops entered Gaza believing their role was patriotic but were mentally fractured upon seeing the consequences.

“This is not a war; this is an assault against civilians, and it is producing a fracture in many of them. They come to confront the reality among the rubble of Gaza.”

Francesca Albanese

Deep Emotional Toll

Albanese described the psychological damage as stemming from a moral and ideological dissonance: soldiers were taught they were defending Israel but found themselves in situations where they inflicted widespread destruction. “Their attachment to the IDF is embedded in national ideology,” she said. “But now they don’t make sense of it. That’s why they are psychologically broken.”

Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus acknowledged the hardship, saying the battlefield in Gaza’s dense urban terrain is “ugly, difficult, and horrible.” He added that such conditions inevitably blur the line between combatants and civilians.

UN Report: ‘An Economy of Genocide’

In addition to the psychological impacts, Albanese referenced her latest report to the Human Rights Council, which identifies what she terms an “economy of genocide.” The report alleges that more than 60 private-sector companies—spanning finance, big tech, and defense—are complicit in Israel’s military occupation and settlement expansion.

“These companies can be held responsible for being directly linked to or contributing to human rights impacts. We’re not talking about violations—we’re talking about crimes,” Albanese emphasized.

Among the companies named was Palantir, a U.S. tech firm, which denied involvement in the development or deployment of alleged targeting tools used by the IDF in Gaza. Palantir stated that it was not the developer of the “Gospel” AI targeting software or the “Lavender” cross-referencing database.

Background

The comments come amid international scrutiny over the humanitarian toll of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Since the war erupted after the Hamas-led 7 October attacks, tens of thousands have been killed or wounded, and questions are mounting over the legality and ethics of Israel’s conduct.

Albanese’s remarks underline growing alarm within global institutions—not only about the war’s toll on Palestinian civilians but also on the emotional and psychological health of Israeli soldiers sent into Gaza.