Israel Recruiting African asylum seekers to fight in Gaza

MONTEGO BAY, September 15, 2024 -  Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, is reporting that "Israeli security officials are offering the incentive of permanent residency in Israel to African asylum seekers to sign up as as mercenary fighters in its genocide war on Palestinians the Gaza strip.

Israeli army officials, speaking unofficially to the newspaper, said that the project is proceeding in an organized manner, under the guidance of the army’s legal advisors, but without any consideration for the ethical aspect of recruiting asylum seekers.

So far, none of the asylum seekers who participated in the war have been granted a legal status, according to the newspaper.

In a press release, Hamas claimed that this recruitment strategy violates basic human rights by exploiting the needs of immigrants and asylum seekers "to involve them in battles, in an attempt to compensate for significant losses within its army during its war on the Gaza Strip."

Hamas called on the international community and human rights organizations to condemn what it described as a crime reflecting "the behavior of racist gangs," urging necessary measures to hold Israeli officials accountable for such violations of international and humanitarian laws.

According to Haaretz, there are currently about 30,000 African asylum seekers living in Israel, most of whom are young people. The Israeli newspaper quoted unnamed security sources as saying that the Israeli army has used asylum seekers in dangerous missions during several military operations, some of which have been publicized in the media.

"Israeli security officials are offering the incentive of permanent residency status to asylum seekers who agree to participate in sometimes life-threatening military operations in Gaza," the report stated. Sources indicate that internal criticism of this practice has been silenced, noting, "This is a very problematic matter."

Haaretz further reported that Israel's defense establishment is offering African asylum seekers who contribute to the war effort in Gaza—risking their lives—assistance in obtaining permanent status in Israel, based on personal accounts obtained by the newspaper.

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