SINGAPORE, Feb 19 — Data released by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) suggests that two individuals holding Singaporean citizenship may have been serving in Israel’s military during the Gaza conflict.
According to information obtained by Israeli NGO Hatzlacha and first reported by AsiaOne, the records cover over 50,000 IDF personnel as of March 2025 — roughly 17 months into the Gaza war — who were registered as holding at least one additional nationality.
The dataset, accessed under Israel’s Freedom of Information Law, shows one soldier identified as having dual Israeli-Singapore citizenship, while another held multiple passports, including Singaporean and Israeli.
The data was previously highlighted by Declassified UK, Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth, and Al Jazeera between February 11 and February 15.
Singapore does not recognise dual citizenship for adults, though citizens under 21 may retain multiple passports until deciding whether to keep Singaporean nationality.
National Service obligations can influence government approval, and the Constitution allows authorities to revoke citizenship if a foreign passport is applied for or used by someone over 18.
Former Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin noted on Facebook that Singapore law also prohibits citizens and permanent residents from participating in armed conflicts overseas.
He added: “I’m confident our authorities will handle this thoroughly and fairly. If the report isn’t accurate, I hope that will be clarified. Either way, transparent findings are key to maintaining public confidence in Singapore’s fairness and integrity.”
The IDF figures also show that US citizens make up the largest group of soldiers with dual nationality, with 12,135 personnel holding American passports and 1,207 others possessing additional foreign citizenship.
French-Israeli dual nationals were the second largest group, with 6,127 soldiers, alongside 337 holding yet another nationality.
Other nationalities among IDF members include Russians (5,067), Germans (3,901), Ukrainians (3,210), and British citizens (1,686).
The military counts individuals with multiple citizenships more than once in its nationality breakdown.