NEW YORK (VINnews) — William Shakin, a 25-year-old former Israeli soldier from Great Neck, New York, died in New York after struggling with severe psychological distress following his military service in Gaza, according to people who knew him and advocates who had worked with him.

Shakin immigrated to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and volunteered for military service through the Mahal program for overseas volunteers. He served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion and fought in Gaza, where he lost friends and fellow soldiers.

After completing his service, Shakin’s mental health deteriorated significantly, according to people close to him. He was not formally recognized by Israeli authorities as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Chaim Meizlish, a volunteer with Navigating, a nonprofit that assists lone soldiers dealing with mental health challenges in the United States.

During his military service, Shakin lived at HaBayit Shel Benji, a home that provides housing and support for lone soldiers. Staff members became concerned about his condition after he completed his service and contacted his parents, according to reports.

Shakin eventually returned to the United States. People assisting him continued to provide support before his departure for New York, but advocates say the assistance available through the IDF and Israel’s Defense Ministry ended once he was outside Israel.

Meizlish said Shakin faced particular difficulty obtaining official recognition for combat-related trauma because he would have been required to return to Israel to appear before Defense Ministry committees.

For Shakin, advocates said, that presented a significant obstacle because returning to Israel would have meant leaving the family and support network he had in the United States.

The case has also highlighted broader concerns about support available to Israeli veterans living abroad. Meizlish said Navigating is aware of about 1,200 cases involving Israeli veterans and others dealing with combat-related trauma in the United States, while only two Defense Ministry representatives are assigned to handle such cases, according to his account.

Shakin’s death has also led to a dispute over where he should be buried.

His parents are seeking to have their son brought to Israel for burial in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. The request has faced opposition from the Defense Ministry, in part because Shakin had not been formally recognized as a combat-trauma victim, according to reports.

The family has criticized the ministry, arguing that Shakin’s service and the psychological consequences he experienced afterward should qualify him for recognition and burial in Israel.

Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer has pledged to try to help the family bring Shakin’s remains to Israel for burial.

Before his death, Shakin spoke with friends about the trauma he was carrying from his time in Gaza. In one message, he described losing a member of his platoon and the effect it had on him.

“A friend from my platoon was killed,” he wrote. “I’m shaking from trauma … I just lost it.”

Friends and members of his Chabad community remembered Shakin as a warm and generous young man who remained deeply connected to Jewish life.

He regularly attended Shabbat dinners, volunteered to help with community events and readily participated in mitzvot. Friends recalled his willingness to help with everything from setting up tables and chairs to building a sukkah, as well as his enthusiasm for putting on tefillin.

Following his graduation, Shakin chose to leave the United States and serve in Israel, ultimately becoming a combat soldier in one of the IDF’s most prominent infantry brigades.

His death has renewed calls from advocates for stronger systems to assist lone soldiers and other Israeli veterans living outside the country who experience psychological difficulties after combat.

Shakin’s family and friends are seeking to have him laid to rest in Israel, where he served and fought alongside his fellow soldiers.