Report: More than 50,000 soldiers fighting in Israeli military hold foreign citizenship

The Israeli military has, for the first time, released data concerning the foreign nationalities held by its servicemen, indicating that a significant number of soldiers have at least one nationality in addition to their Israeli passports.

In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted in March last year by the Israeli nonprofit Hatzlacha and published on the British website Declassified, the military said 50,632 service members hold an additional foreign citizenship.

According to the published figures, 12,135 soldiers hold US citizenship, the largest group by a significant margin, followed by more than 6,100 French nationals and over 5,000 Russian nationals.

More than 3,000 service members hold German and Ukrainian citizenship, respectively, while more than 1,000 hold British, Romanian, Polish, Ethiopian and Canadian citizenship.

The diversity is not limited to Western states. The data also indicates the presence of soldiers holding Arab nationalities, including Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, and Algeria, though in limited numbers.

The figures further reveal that 4,440 soldiers hold two foreign nationalities in addition to possessing the Israeli passport, while 162 soldiers hold three or more foreign citizenships.

Since the onset of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military has relied on tens of thousands of soldiers from various nationalities for its offensives.

The participation of foreign nationals has prompted legal scrutiny abroad under the principle of universal jurisdiction. The principle allows national courts to take legal action against those charged with war crimes, no matter where the atrocities were committed.

Over 2,000 British nationals fought for Israel during Gaza genocide: Report

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Prominent international organizations have called for independent investigations, and urged Western governments to meet their legal duties concerning their citizens who are purportedly implicated in such violations.

Various legal and civil initiatives have already emerged in multiple nations. In Canada, it has been reported that federal law enforcement is investigating potential war crimes linked to reservists who hold dual nationality.

In Belgium and Britain, human rights groups have filed complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and domestic law enforcement authorities targeting hundreds of soldiers, including individuals holding European citizenship.

Legal authorities point out that certain foreign citizens, including those from Britain, who are enlisted in the Israeli military may be subject to their home country's laws. One such law is the UK’s Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870, which restricts citizens from engaging in combat for a foreign regime under specific circumstances.

The recent acknowledgment of a Palestinian state by Britain could make the legal situation regarding such service even more complex.

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) cautioned about a credible risk of genocide occurring in Gaza. This has prompted some legal experts to suggest that countries could be required to look into the involvement of their citizens in breaches of international law, which may raise issues of accountability that extend beyond the borders of the Israeli-occupied territories.

Over a span of more than two years, the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza led to the deaths of more than 72,000 Palestinians and left over 171,000 individuals injured. Additionally, around 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in the area was destroyed.

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