Over 50,000 foreigners serve in ‘Israel’s’ military, new data shows

• For the first time, the "Israeli" military revealed that over 50,000 personnel hold at least one foreign citizenship as of March 2025, with the largest groups hailing from the US (12,135), France (6,127), and Russia (5,067).
• The data has triggered debates over the legal accountability of dual nationals serving in the Gaza conflict, with human rights groups in countries like the UK calling for investigations into potential war crimes and violations of foreign enlistment laws.

The ‘Israeli’ military has for the first time disclosed detailed information on the foreign citizenships held by its service members, showing that 50,632 personnel have at least one additional nationality beyond ‘Israeli’ citizenship as of March 2025.

The recent revelation came in response to a Freedom of Information request filed in March 2025 by the ‘Israeli’ nonprofit Hatzlacha, an organization promoting government transparency.

The data highlights the diverse international backgrounds within the ‘Israeli’ military, amid the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

According to the figures, the largest group of dual nationals hails from the United States, with 12,135 soldiers holding American citizenship.

France follows with 6,127, while Russia accounts for 5,067.

More than 3,000 each come from Germany and Ukraine, reflecting significant immigration waves from Europe and former Soviet states to ‘Israel’ in recent decades.

Over 1,000 soldiers each hold citizenship from the United Kingdom, Romania, Poland, Ethiopia, and Canada.

The data also reveals complexities in multiple nationalities: 4,440 service members hold two foreign citizenships in addition to ‘Israeli’, and 162 possess three foreign ones.

The military did not specify whether the figures include only active-duty troops, reservists, or both.

Notably, small numbers of soldiers hold citizenship from Arab countries, including 14 from Yemen, 15 from Tunisia, 4 from Lebanon, 3 from Syria, and 1 from Algeria.

The release of this information has sparked discussions on legal implications, particularly for dual nationals serving during ‘Israel's’ military campaign in Gaza, which has been described as a genocide.

In the UK, for instance, over 2,000 British nationals—including 1,686 dual British-‘Israeli’ and 383 with British, ‘Israeli’, and another nationality, served in the military as of March 2025.

This has raised questions about potential violations of the UK's Foreign Enlistment Act 1870, which prohibits citizens from fighting for foreign states under certain conditions.

Human rights groups and lawyers have called for investigations into dual nationals potentially involved in war crimes, citing obligations under international law, including the International Court of Justice's rulings on genocide prevention.

Complaints have been filed with UK authorities, such as the Metropolitan Police's war crimes unit, targeting Britons accused of atrocities in Gaza.

Similar concerns extend to other countries, with calls for accountability.