The debate surrounding Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip has become even more heated. An analytical article published by Al Jazeera reports that thousands of foreign citizens from various countries participated in combat operations in the ranks of the Israeli army during the conflict.
According to the information provided by the publication, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have a large share of soldiers with dual citizenship. That is, most of them served with an Israeli passport and the citizenship of another country.
The number of Uzbeks mentioned
The article also mentions the number of Uzbek citizens who fought for the IDF. According to Al Jazeera, there were 264 such individuals. At the same time, they are said to represent 5 nationalities, but it is not clear which nationalities they are. The publication also notes that they also have Israeli citizenship.
Which countries have the largest share
According to the analysis, the largest number of foreign soldiers are those with US citizenship - at least 12-13 thousand. The number of French and Russian citizens is also significant, it is said that they are about 5-6 thousand. The figures given are that soldiers with British, German and Ukrainian citizenship are more than a thousand.
Some figures are also given for the countries of Central Asia: among the foreigners, it is mentioned that there are 189 Kazakhs, 52 Kyrgyz, 31 Turkmens and 8 Tajiks.
Some are in permanent service, some came after the conflict
According to the authors, some of these foreigners have previously served regularly in the Israeli army. Another part came to Israel after the conflict escalated and joined the fighting.
The most difficult question is about legal responsibility
The most “difficult” point in the article is the issue of international humanitarian law. The human rights organizations cited by the publication put forward the position that if there are suspicions of violations of the law, the countries from which the soldiers came should conduct investigations into their citizens and, if necessary, consider the issue of responsibility. However, it is also noted that some countries have not publicly announced the beginning of such processes.
In short, the conflict around Gaza continues not only on the military front - but also in the diplomatic arena and in legal disputes. Information about the participation of foreign citizens in the fighting further deepens these debates and poses a difficult question for each state: “responsibility for its citizens.”
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