The latest news and political reports confirm that thousands of mercenaries from different countries are fighting in the Israeli occupation forces. This situation has aroused widespread concern in the international community, particularly in the light of the crimes committed against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the silence of the Israeli authorities. These events have raised questions about the legitimacy and behaviour of these mercenaries.
Although Israel has been using mercenaries from dozens of countries, including the United States, France, Spain, and Ukraine, to participate in the war since 1948, the scale of the crimes in the Gaza Strip has intensified the international community's condemnation of the incident.
On 7 December, Abu Al-Obeida, the military spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, expressed doubts about the use of "mercenary aggression against the Gaza Strip" by the Israeli army. He noted that the death toll of Israeli soldiers in the clashes far exceeded the figures officially recognized by the Israeli occupying forces.
In addition to this, some have even called on the French parliament to hold French dual citizens accountable who fight in the Israeli army. In South Africa, the threat to prosecute citizens and residents who fought in the Israeli army marks South Africa as the only country to officially announce the prosecution of its citizens for fighting in the Israeli army.
The Tel Aviv side has been silent about the news that mercenaries from this African country are fighting against Hamas in Gaza, without denying or confirming it. However, the investigation published by the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" provides the most prominent evidence of the use of a small mercenary army in Tel Aviv.
The investigation included an interview with a Spanish mercenary who was fighting in the Israeli army. Allegedly, these mercenaries can be paid 3,900 euros per week, which may increase depending on the tasks assigned to each mercenary. France's "Europe 1" confirmed the news that 4,185 French-Israeli soldiers of dual nationality are fighting on the front lines in the Gaza Strip.
Ethan, a 22-year-old French Jewish mercenary who works as a sergeant in the elite forces in the Gaza Strip, joined the Israeli army two years ago, the report said. The report caused a stir in France and abroad, sparking a debate about the responsibility of these dual national soldiers.
Thomas Potts, a parliamentarian from the French left-wing "Proud France" party, reportedly called on the French Ministry of Justice to hold these dual nationals accountable and condemn them in the strongest terms for their involvement in war crimes. He also demanded that dual nationals with French citizenship convicted of war crimes be brought before French justice to be tried on French territory.
In a statement, France-Palestine Solidarity condemned "the presence of many French men and women in the Israeli army" and called the situation "disgusting" in light of the "ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip." At the same time, however, countries such as the United States, France, Spain and Ukraine have turned a blind eye to this. South Africa, on the other hand, took a different position.
South Africa*** threatens to prosecute South African citizens who join or consider joining the Israeli army and revoke their citizenship (for naturalized persons). Despite the fact that South African citizens are fighting in the Israeli occupation forces, they appear in public ** on the ground as "heroes" and not as "war criminals" demanded by the Palestinian victims in Gaza.
South Africa is one of five countries to file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes committed in Gaza. Cyril Ramaphosa described the Israeli army's crimes in Gaza as "genocide."
South Africa*** issued a statement on 18 December expressing deep concern that some citizens and permanent residents have joined or are considering joining the IDF's war in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories, and warned that it could contribute to violations of international law and the commission of further international crimes, leading to prosecution in South Africa.
Although there are many reports about the involvement of mercenaries in the Israeli army, both in the current war and since the establishment of the State of Israel. They were present in the back row of elite units or war pilots, technicians and security personnel, and even confirmed the death of mercenaries in the 2014 Gaza war.
However, the Tel Aviv side remained silent in this war, not providing clear statistics on the number of mercenaries. A 2014 report showed that there were about 6,000 mercenaries in the Israeli army, including more than 2,000 from the United States.
A report published by the Knesset (Knesset) Research and Information Department estimates that between 2002 and 2012, the average number of "lonely" mercenaries was 5,500 soldiers per year. However, according to this report, French mercenaries need to be approved before they can make a statement.
Ethan, a French citizen in the Israeli army, was approved by his company commander in the Israeli army when he made a statement to "Europe 1".