Jerusalem, 25 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli teachers trying to support students while coping with wartime stress are facing a mounting psychological toll, new research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev suggests.
“The reality today is one of repeated crises and wars,” Dr. Moti Benita, one of the study’s authors, told The Press Service of Israel. “Teachers are required to serve as a safe haven for children, a space where, despite everything happening outside, they can create some sense of routine. But they cannot be separated from the fact that they are also parents and citizens who are affected.”
The study, published in the peer-reviewed Teaching and Teacher Education, followed 259 educators at three points in time during the war, beginning in December 2023 and continuing at intervals of three and six months. Sixty percent of participants were women, with an average of 15 years of teaching experience.
The findings showed that teachers reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression early in the war, with 25 percent reporting severe symptoms. While these levels declined over time, they remained relatively high, with about 40 percent still above the clinical threshold months later.
Benita said the key insight of the research lies not only in what teachers do, but why they do it.
“The main novelty is not teachers’ emotional work itself, but the motivation behind it,” he said. “Teachers who regulate their emotions out of internal motivation and identification with their role experience less anxiety and depression. But those who do it to meet external expectations end up with more burnout, anxiety, and depression.”
Benita also pointed to the challenges of remote learning during wartime.
“I think distance learning is a very big problem,” he said. “Zoom does not allow teachers to fulfill their role as caregivers. The sense of purpose comes from relationships with students. Zoom disconnects children from teachers. They are there, but they are not really there.”
He said maintaining that connection is critical not only for students, but for teachers themselves.
“The system needs to think about how, especially now, teachers can preserve that connection, so they do not experience burnout, anxiety, and stress, and can feel effective in their work,” he said.
Inna Milis Amon, a middle school biology teacher from Jerusalem, told TPS-IL that she agreed with the findings. “Eventually, what matters is teachers’ internal toolkit to cope with complicated and unexpected situations,” she said.
According to Benita, strengthening teachers’ internal motivation and professional identity could help reduce long-term psychological harm and prevent attrition, which has remained high in Israel and globally.
“Mental well-being of children and teachers is no less important than their physical well-being,” he said.
After more than two weeks of nationwide closures triggered by the missile attacks, Israeli students began returning to classrooms as the school system partially reopened on March 16. More schools have reopened since, but the barrages continue.
Under the updated guidelines, schools that do operate must be prepared to respond immediately if air-raid sirens sound. Teachers are required to escort students to designated shelters and remain with them there until authorities determine it is safe to resume activities. Educational institutions are also expected to rehearse the routes students must follow.