Mintpress News
Israelis aren’t the only demographic among the IDF’s forces in Gaza. Foreign fighters from as far away as the United States, France, Spain, the Netherlands and even India actively participate in the hostilities. While the exact number of internationals fighting in Gaza isn’t known, what is known is that citizens from numerous countries appear to be at least complicit in what has been called a genocide.
Under Israel’s Law of Return, any individual with at least one Jewish grandparent or spouse can obtain Israeli citizenship. In this regard, many born abroad can serve in Israel’s military while still keeping their birthplace’s nationality. They often emigrate and then serve in the army.
Currently, 45% of the Israeli army’s “lone soldiers,” those who serve but don’t have family in Israel, are new immigrants. The current “lone soldier” program has troops from over 60 countries, with approximately 35% from the U.S. It’s important to note, though, that individuals part of Israel’s “lone soldier” program are not considered mercenaries, who are professionals hired by a country’s government to fight in its war and aren’t citizens of said country.
To widen the recruitment pool, the Israeli military now accepts great-grandchildren of Jews to join. While they aren’t eligible to become Israeli citizens under the Law of Return, they can serve in the Israeli army.
Another route is volunteering in Israel’s Mahal program, which permits Jewish youth from other countries to join the army without becoming citizens. There are currently 500 Mahal volunteers in Israel’s military.
“Most mercenaries fighting for Israel now are welcomed based on their religious affiliations and dual citizenships, making their accountability pretty complex,” Mustafa Fetouri, a Libyan journalist and analyst, told MintPress News. “Many countries whose citizens are fighting for Israel, including the USA, have laws criminalizing such actions, but it is not a straightforward issue when the dual citizenship is factored in.”
Fetouri expanded on this, writing in the Middle East Monitor that “America’s Neutrality Act, dating back to the founding days of the US, mak[es] it illegal for any American citizen to take part in any foreign war, or establish a militia for that purpose.” He noted the legislation, however, hasn’t been reinforced lately “as hundreds of Americans have participated in wars in Ukraine, in Libya in 2011 and, now, in Gaza.”
The Israeli military also openly recruits nationals of other countries. For instance, the Israeli consulate in Toronto has advertised appointments with its military representative for those wishing to join the military.
The consulate’s website said, “Young people who wish to enlist in the IDF or anyone who has not fulfilled their obligations according to the Israeli Defense Service Law are invited to meet with him.”
Organizations like Nefesh B’Nefesh, which encourages Jewish immigration to Israel from North America, have hosted events on joining the Israeli military. Sar-El (National Project for Volunteers for Israel) recruits Jewish and non-Jewish internationals to assist Israeli military efforts on army bases, such as packaging food and medical supplies.
The Nationalities Serving
In November, the Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, revealed that Spanish mercenary Pedro Diaz Flores is now fighting for Israel, having previously fought in Ukraine with the neo-Nazi Azov Brigade.
“So I came for economy, for money. They pay very well, they offer good equipment, and the work is calm. It is 3,900 euros [$4,187] per week, complementary missions aside,” Flores told El Mundo.
While pictured next to a border checkpoint with the Gaza Strip, he told the newspaper he’s working in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, saying, “We only provide security support to arms convoys or the troops of the Israeli armed forces that are in the Gaza Strip, we do not fight Hamas directly, nor are we involved in assault operations.”
“We are in charge of the security of the checkpoints and access control on the borders of Gaza and Jordan. There are many PMCs [private military companies] here, and they share the work. Traditionally, they have guarded border terminals between Eilat and Aqaba,” he added.
He told the newspaper he was recruited by Raven and Global CST. Information on Raven isn’t available online. MintPress News reached out to Global CST to verify Flores’ contract. Global CST said it doesn’t know Flores and that “Global CST holds no security or military activities of any type or form, not in Israel, not in Gaza, and not in any other territory worldwide.”
Global CST told MintPress News it’s a renewable energy company and denied reports it’s providing defense and security services to governments and other organizations. On LinkedIn, Global CST is described as offering “strategic consulting and project integration management.” The website listed on Global-CST’s LinkedIn is currently down. When asked for a website, Global CST directed MintPress to Global Group’s website, which promotes agricultural projects worldwide.
The LinkedIn profile of the firm’s founder, Israel Ziv, a retired Israeli general, details Global CST as an “Israeli-based security consultancy group…which has built a vast and unique track record in various continents around the globe, such as South America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.” Global CST confirmed to MintPress News Ziv is its founder. The company, which also operates under the name Global N.T.M., was established in 2006 and remains active.
In 2018, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Global CST and Ziv for allegedly supplying weapons to South Sudan. The U.S. Treasury Department said Ziv used an agricultural company “as a cover for the sale of approximately $150 million worth of weapons to the government, including rifles, grenade launchers and shoulder-fired rockets.”
The U.S. also said Ziv “planned to organize attacks by mercenaries on South Sudanese oil fields and infrastructure in an effort to create a problem that only his company and affiliates could solve.” The U.S. lifted its sanctions on Ziv and his company in 2020 without an explanation.
Since El Mundo’s publication, reports have also emerged of other nationalities involved in a more direct capacity with Israel’s assault on Gaza. Footage has surfaced of Israeli soldiers speaking with American accents or with American flag patches on their uniforms.
According to the U.S. State Department, 21 American citizens who were members of the Israeli military have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Canadian media has reported its own nationals are volunteering with the Israeli army and are motivated to serve in Gaza. And British newspaper, The Guardian, reported British nationals have been killed in Gaza while fighting for Israel. Britons are also arriving in droves to volunteer with the military like doctors and university chaplains. Around 100 British citizens are currently part of Israel’s military.
In December, Al Jazeera reported seven Ukrainian mercenaries were reportedly killed near Gaza City while fighting alongside Israeli forces. This news came as images of Israeli soldiers speaking Ukrainian circulated on social media. The Ukrainian government denies its citizens are fighting in Gaza, however.
“We did not send any soldiers to the Gaza Strip or any other region of the world,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
“The footage that shows people speaking Ukrainian in the Gaza Strip may be Israelis of Ukrainian or Slavic origins who have no connection to the state,” the spokesperson added.
According to Australian journalist CJ Werleman, Israeli soldiers of Indian origin are also fighting in Gaza. The Indian Foreign Ministry did not respond to inquiries on whether its citizens are fighting in Gaza.
Close examination of Forward Observation Group’s Instagram account suggests the group has been cooperating with the Israeli army since October — first stationed around the Gaza border and then located within the enclave by the end of November. The last image on its account from Gaza is dated January 16. Another post dated January 11 depicts camera footage of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza. It is captioned, “Helmet cam footage from a LOTAR Special Forces team leader we embedded with shortly after the OCT 7th attack.” A recent Instagram Story from Forward Observations shows a soldier in a hospital bed draped with Forward Observation’s flag. An Israeli flag hangs on the wall next to him.
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Via https://www.mintpressnews.com/foreign-fighters-from-us-france-india-fighting-israel-war-gaza/286985/
The Most Revolutionary Act 
So, people come from all over the world to murder babies, women, children, and old men. but, if they are unlucky enough to come across a Hamas fighter, they die!
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I reckon, young men from the Western empire have a innate death wish, papasha408. That’s the only way I can explain such incomprehensible behavior.
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