5 View gallery <\/p>\n
![\"\u05e0\u05d8"\u05dc\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BJGJ9Z1c11e_114_0_1487_836_0_x-large.jpg\" "\\"NATAL\u2019s")
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NATAL\u2019s Helpline in operation <\/p>\n
(Photo: Courtesy of the NATAL association)<\/p>\n
Within the first 48 hours, NATAL recorded a 620% increase in calls to its Helpline. The thousands of calls\u2014many arriving late at night\u2013dealt with severe anxiety, fear of direct attacks, difficulty explaining the situation to children, concern for family members, sleep disturbances, and inquiries from reservists.<\/p>\n
All services provided by the organization\u2014from the Helpline to individual therapy\u2014are offered free of charge or for a nominal commitment fee.<\/p>\n
‘For two years I\u2019ve been trying to learn how to breathe again, but reality keeps taking my breath away’<\/p>\n
Irit Aloni, who heads NATAL\u2019s Clinical Unit, lives in Kibbutz Sde Nehemia in the Upper Galilee. That detail alone reflects something about the people leading the organization and the shared reality they inhabit: professionals who themselves experience the sirens, live on the front lines, endure sleepless nights and family members called up for reserve duty\u2014yet continue to support others.<\/p>\n
NATAL\u2019s Clinical Unit treats 3,500 patients every week\u2014civilians and reservists who have experienced trauma from war or terror. Care is provided by 550 therapists across Israel, all holding advanced degrees and specializing in trauma treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince October 7, it\u2019s been difficult to talk about returning to routine,\u201d Aloni explains. \u201cWe are essentially operating in a prolonged emergency mode.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n 5 View gallery <\/p>\n Irit Aloni, director of NATAL\u2019s clinical unit, ‘We are essentially operating in a prolonged emergency mode’ <\/p>\n (Photo: Courtesy of the NATAL association)<\/p>\n The worsening symptoms ripple outward: strained relationships, reduced parental functioning, and children who sense their parents\u2019 distress. \u201cEveryone is living inside a boiling pressure cooker,\u201d Aloni says. \u201cEven in families of reservists, just when a routine begins to form, it is disrupted again.\u201d The emotional exhaustion is immense. Aloni recalls a patient telling her: \u201cI try to lift my head above the trauma, but the uncertainty never lets up. My soul just wants it to end, please tell me when this will end.\u201d Another caller shared: \u201cFor two years I\u2019ve been trying to learn how to breathe again but reality keeps taking my breath away.\u201d<\/p>\n The strain affects the professional staff as well. NATAL has therefore launched a dedicated internal consultation line for therapists in collaboration with Teva\u2019s \u201cMental Health Caregivers\u201d program, allowing professionals to consult leading trauma specialists 24\/7, alongside an on-call psychiatrist, ongoing supervision groups and professional training.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5 View gallery <\/p>\n The experts of the NATAL association <\/p>\n (Photo: Courtesy of the NATAL association)<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all living within the same traumatic reality,\u201d Aloni says. \u201cThe therapeutic encounter takes place within a shared experience between therapist and patient. Taking care of ourselves is not a luxury, it is a basic condition for continuing to care for others.\u201d<\/p>\n NATAL\u2019s hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is reinforced during emergencies. \u201cThe helpline is NATAL\u2019s emergency room,\u201d says Gili Gamish, director of the organization\u2019s support lines. \u201cFrom there we know how to direct people to the many services we offer, individual therapy, support groups and more.\u201d She adds: \u201cWith 28 years of experience, NATAL are the experts in trauma caused by war and terrorism. Anyone who reaches out receives the most professional care.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other end of the line are dozens of volunteers who have undergone extensive trauma-focused training and are supported by professional clinicians who monitor the line continuously, some even answering calls from protected rooms during sirens. All conversations are completely anonymous, and callers\u2019 details are not recorded. \u201cIn times like these, the team responds as if under a military call-up order, with enormous dedication and commitment,\u201d Gamish says.<\/p>\n Anyone experiencing pressure or anxiety can contact NATAL via chat at www.natal.org.il<\/a>. The service operates 24\/7.<\/p>\n 5 View gallery <\/p>\n Gili Gamish, director of NATAL\u2019s assistance hotlines <\/p>\n (Photo: Courtesy of the NATAL association)<\/p>\n Gamish describes what NATAL\u2019s chief psychologist Dr. Boaz Shalgi calls \u201crolling trauma.\u201d \u201cUnlike traumatic events that end, in Israel lately one event follows another,\u201d she explains. \u201cPeople try to lift their heads above water, and are pulled under again. The psyche simply doesn\u2019t have time to recover.\u201d Many callers report physical symptoms of panic attacks, flashbacks, breathing difficulties, trouble functioning around their children, and severe sleep disturbances.<\/p>\n The helpline is intended not only for those directly experiencing anxiety or trauma, but also for family members and close circles seeking guidance. \u201cWe receive calls from reservists summoned under emergency call-ups who are afraid to report for duty; family members of soldiers struggling with intense anxiety; people living without proper shelter; and individuals with disabilities who have difficulty reaching protected spaces,\u201d Gamish says. \u201cMany calls come at night, during sirens or immediately afterward. At night people are alone, and the anxiety surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘A caller from the south was afraid to enter the shelter, because that\u2019s where terrorists found him on October 7’<\/p>\n Some reactions are triggered by reminders of earlier trauma. \u201cThe body and mind recognize the situation and react with overwhelming intensity,\u201d Gamish explains. \u201cIt could be the sound of a siren, a certain smell, or an image on the news.\u201d In many conversations, volunteers help callers understand that their reaction is entirely human and normal. \u201cThe body is responding intelligently, it signals that it recognizes danger. It\u2019s not weakness. It\u2019s biology.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes, she says, that simple explanation alone is enough to help people leave the conversation feeling less alone. Gamish recalls several calls that stayed with her: \u201cA man from the south who is afraid to enter his shelter, because that\u2019s where terrorists found him on October 7; the partner of a reservist called up for duty who can\u2019t catch her breath; a mother worried about her teenage daughter who has locked herself in her room. These are the conversations that stay with me.\u201d<\/p>\n NATAL therapists, working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Israel\u2019s National Resilience Center, are also present in hotels in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where about 600 evacuees whose homes were damaged by missile fire are currently staying. Therapists provide individual, family and group support to both children and adults, helping them process traumatic experiences, validate emotions, strengthen feelings of safety and cope with loss, fear and uncertainty. \u201cThese interventions create spaces of resilience and belonging, helping reduce post-traumatic responses,\u201d Aloni explains. Those who require ongoing care are referred to the clinical unit. Dr. Shalgi adds: \u201cResilience is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to continue acting even while shaken.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\u05e0\u05d8"\u05dc\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Byeo76yk9Ze_137_0_1784_1003_0_x-large.jpg\" "\\"Irit")
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