Israel to make asylum-seeking Africans fight in Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers stand in order, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel, December 4, 2023. (Reuters Photo)
Reportedly the Israeli military is offering African asylum seekers, particularly from Sudan, the opportunity to gain Israeli residency in exchange for fighting on the Gaza front.
According to a report published by Haaretz, the Israeli military has been accepting applications from asylum seekers on the condition that they join the fighting in Gaza. Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that this practice is organized under the guidance of the military’s legal advisors.
The report highlights that criticism of this “exploitation” of African asylum seekers has been suppressed within the country. Officials stressed that this is a “very troubling issue.”
The same sources mentioned that some asylum seekers had volunteered for agricultural and civil command centered duties after October 7, but none have yet received permanent residency status. There have been requests to provide residency to those who assist in the Gaza attacks, but so far, no such status has been granted.
Currently, there are approximately 30,000 African asylum seekers in Israel, mostly young men. Of these, around 3,500 are Sudanese citizens who have been given temporary status by court order due to the Israeli government’s failure to process or decide on their asylum applications.
Haaretz further reported that Israeli military officials realized the desire of these asylum seekers to gain permanent residency in Israel could be used as an incentive for participation in the war on Gaza.
One asylum seeker, identified only as A, told Haaretz that during the early days of the attacks on Gaza, he received a call from someone identifying as a police officer, instructing him to report to a security center without any explanation.
A said the official introduced himself as responsible for enlisting asylum seekers into the military, explaining that Israel was fighting a life-or-death war and they were looking for “special people” to join. A was told that if he fought in Gaza, he could obtain residency in Israel. The official asked for a copy of his ID and promised to “take care of the matter.”
A also reported that the official informed him he would undergo two weeks of training along with other asylum seekers before heading to Gaza with the military.
In its report, Haaretz also revealed that the Israeli Interior Ministry has been exploring the possibility of enlisting the children of asylum seekers studying in Israeli schools into the military.
In the past, the Israeli government allowed the children of foreign workers to serve in the military in exchange for granting residency status to their immediate family members.
The Israeli military is facing a manpower shortage due to its ongoing attacks on Gaza, clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and increasing pressure in the occupied West Bank. The military has even sent draft notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men (Haredi), who are typically exempt from military service.
