Despite nearly two weeks of terror, Israelis, in true fashion, have returned to routine. But don’t be fooled – many people have been affected emotionally.
The 12-day war with Iran was a surreal and defining moment for the Israeli population. For months, Israelis had braced for the possibility of a military strike – after all, the threat from Tehran was existential. Few doubted what the Iranian regime would do if it acquired a nuclear weapon.
But uncertainty loomed: Would the Israeli government act decisively? Was it even capable of doing so?
That uncertainty ended on June 13, when more than 200 Israeli jets launched a coordinated assault on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. Joined by the United States in the final phase, the operation was a resounding success. For now, the immediate nuclear threat to Israel has been neutralized.
Home front under siege
Iran’s counterattack was swift and brutal. Over 12 days, Iran launched approximately 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones. Despite a high interception rate by Israeli and American defense systems, at least 31 missiles struck populated areas or critical infrastructure, killing 28 civilians, with more than 3,000 wounded and thousands displaced.The IDF Home Front Command issued more than 21,000 alerts to civilians – an unprecedented number, which reflected the scale of the assault.
The Home Front Command would signal that a launch of a missile from Iran had occurred, emitting a special alarm on smartphones. It is a disturbing alarm sound, which sounds scary. Often this happened in the middle of the night, instructing people to proceed to a protected area. These protected spaces vary across the country. Some were built in people’s private homes; others are collective bomb shelters for residents living in a building. The initial alert gave you 10 minutes. Often, this was followed by a warning siren.
I live in a six-story apartment building in Jerusalem, and the bomb shelter is located in the parking garage under the building. Old and young quickly walked down the stairs. Some took the elevator. People felt anxious, knowing the potential danger of a ballistic missile to life and property. In our bomb shelter, about 40 people were accommodated, ranging from infants to the elderly. We sat nervously, glued to the radio that was playing loudly and informing us if an interception had been made and when we could leave the shelter.
No doubt, everyone felt fearful but also protected in the bomb shelter and comforted by trying to be supportive to one another. One 13-year-old boy went around offering water to everyone. Other times, he passed around cookies. On two separate occasions, we sang “Happy Birthday” to the young celebrants.
Over the 12 days, sleep deprivation became more the norm than the exception. Not only did we suffer from interrupted sleep, but the nighttime anxiety of “What if there is a siren?” was haunting. As a result, some of our neighbors had difficulty falling asleep, expecting to be awakened in the middle of the night, worried about getting their kids or an elderly parent to the bomb shelter.
For us in Jerusalem, there were no direct hits. We were the lucky ones. Unfortunately, there were direct hits in other parts of the country. One young woman interviewed on the TV news stated, “We heard a big boom. When we returned, my apartment had taken a direct missile hit. Everything was destroyed. Thank God, we weren’t inside.”
You could see the fear on her face. She could not stop shaking. These reports were all too common during the 12-day war.
A nation’s mental health on the brink
Most Israelis have family members scattered across the country, and this was a cause for worry. Checking in on loved ones after a missile alert became routine. We heard countless stories of close calls – friends and relatives who had narrowly escaped harm.A longitudinal study published in 2025 found that 75% of Israelis living near conflict zones after Oct. 7, 2023, were experiencing clinically significant symptoms of PTSD, depression, or anxiety.
Mental health experts expect similar findings resulting from the 12-day war, and they predict a national psychological emergency. Many Israelis will need psychological help to deal with trauma symptoms, loss of a loved one, seeing a home destroyed, and/or being left homeless and displaced.
After the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, one of my clients told me that she felt emotionally detached from her feelings, and she worried that she would remain this way permanently.
I helped her to understand that detachment is a common defense mechanism during crisis – an adaptive response to a surreal, overwhelming experience.
She is a single parent with three children and was the only adult with her kids through the ordeal. Talking through her feelings helped her begin to reconnect.
I am certain that many people felt detached when the ceasefire began. It’s unrealistic to be able to instantly turn off your fear mode of function.
After the war, it is also common for people to get triggered by sounds like an ambulance and for a few seconds think it is a missile warning siren. Our nervous systems during the war were clearly put on overload, and shutting down overly activated adrenalin takes time.
One of my clients could not stop watching the news. I explained to him that this overexposure behavior was causing him more harm than good. He agreed to take a week away from the news, to see if it would help.
Children showed signs of trauma – bed-wetting, clinginess, difficulty concentrating. One mother recounted how, after the ceasefire was declared on June 24, her three-year-old daughter returned to preschool. When the mother arrived to pick her up, the teacher told her that the children had invented a game called az’akot – Hebrew for “warning sirens.” One child would shout the warning, and the others would scramble to hide. It was their way of processing the jarring alarm and being taken to a protected area over and over again.
The ceasefire – and return to life
Despite nearly two weeks of terror, Israelis, in true fashion, have returned to routine. But don’t be fooled – many people have been affected emotionally. Common reactions after the 12-day war include extreme exhaustion and a lot of worry about the future.With this in mind, people should not hesitate to seek professional help when emotions feel unmanageable. Seeking mental health support is a sign of strength.