Politics
Inside Israel’s army of dual-nationals
Data published by the Israeli army shows that 50,632 servicemen fighting in the ranks of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) hold two or more nationalities (listed below).The data does not indicate how many were reservists versus active-duty soldiers — fighting for Israel.
As reported by the Canary’s Joe Glenton, the data was obtained by Declassified UK obtained through a Freedom of Information request.
Americans rank first (12,135), French second (6,100), and Russians third (5,000). Nationals from Germany, Ukraine, Britain, Romania, Poland, Canada, and Latin America also feature on the list. Of these, 4,440 soldiers hold two foreign nationalities, while 162 hold three or more — serving in military operations in Gaza, waged by Israel.
Less expected are Arab nationals from Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, and Algeria, who appear in the data — albeit in noticeably smaller numbers.
- United States: 12,135 soldiers
- France: 6,127 soldiers
- Russia: 5,067 soldiers
- Germany: 3,901 soldiers
- Ukraine: 3,210 soldiers
- Britain: 1,686 soldiers
- Romania: 1,675 soldiers
- Poland: 1,668 soldiers
- Ethiopia: 1,387 soldiers
- Canada: 1,185 soldiers
- Hungary: 885 soldiers
- Italy: 828 soldiers
- Argentina: 609 soldiers
- Netherlands: 559 soldiers
- Brazil: 505 soldiers
- Australia: 502 soldiers
- South Africa: 415 soldiers
- Belgium: 406 soldiers
- Austria: 390 soldiers
- Switzerland: 373 soldiers
- Spain: 372 soldiers
- Czech Republic: 309 soldiers
Conflicting jurisdictional obligations
The presence of dual-national IDF servicemen has raised questions about their legal obligations — in other words, when serving in Israel, whose laws are they answerable to.
These concerns have also culminated in criminal investigations into the conduct of soldiers deployed in Gaza since 2023.
In the UK, human rights groups collaborating with the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights submitted a report to the Metropolitan Police war crimes unit. Their findings highlight the participation of British nationals in Gaza and their possible involvement in suspected war crimes.
In June 2025, Canadian authorities, responding to complaints, launched preliminary investigations into Canadian nationals serving in the IDF suspected of war crimes.
Meanwhile, Belgium is investigating a Belgian soldier fighting for an elite IDF unit deployed in Gaza. That said, Belgium imposes no restrictions on dual nationals serving in foreign militaries.
Suspected Gaza war crimes
International organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have long called for independent investigations to ensure that dual citizens are acting in compliance with international humanitarian law. A recent investigation by Al Jazeera Arabic found that six Israeli snipers hold dual nationalities and were implicated in attacks targeting civilians in Gaza.
According to local estimates, the war in Gaza, now in its third year, has resulted in more than 72,000 deaths and approximately 171,000 injuries. In addition, there has been widespread destruction of infrastructure, with humanitarian and legal repercussions extending far beyond the battlefield.
Featured image via the Canary