Israeli soldier recently returned from Gaza 'shoots friend' as PTSD grips discharged troops

A 25-year-old Israeli soldier who recently returned from fighting in the Gaza Strip has reportedly killed a friend in a shooting in Tel Aviv, according to local media reports on Saturday.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that "an Israeli soldier recently returned from fighting in the Gaza Strip killed his friend inside an apartment".

News website Jpost also reported that the suspected gunman was a reservist soldier who had returned from Gaza and was suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) episode after having returned from service.

"The perpetrator was carrying a licensed weapon," it said, without providing further details about circumstances of the shooting, adding it had criminal implications.

The incident occurred in an apartment on Menachem Begin Street in the city, local media reported, adding that the victim was initially injured and later died from his wounds.

Israeli media outlets have reported in recent months that thousands of soldiers who were discharged after the war in Gaza were experiencing trauma.

Earlier in December, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that 18 percent of soldiers participating in the invasion of Gaza were suffering from mental health problems and PTSD.

Last month, an Israeli soldier who returned from Gaza injured members of his unit when he woke up from a nightmare and began firing a weapon.

Footage posted online from Gaza has shown the intensity of street-to-street fighting in Gaza, where at least 531 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to official figures, although the number is likely to be higher.

Earlier this month, Israeli news site Walla reported that some 4,000 Israeli troops were disabled since the beginning of Israel's onslaught on Gaza on 7 October.

Israel's military offensive on the besieged enclave, which has killed at least 25,100 people - mostly women and children - has seen unprecedented injuries inflicted on Israeli forces on the ground, Walla said, adding that the injuries were "extremely severe".

"Currently, about 4,000 soldiers (with disabilities) have been recognised according to classification 3, meaning they are entitled to all treatments and rights enjoyed by a disabled person in the Israeli army without being officially recognized in this way," Walla reported.

The news site reported that the Israeli army "does not provide all data about the wounded to the public, for fear that it will lower people's morale".