Official Data Reveals: Over 50,000 Soldiers in the Occupation Army Hold Foreign Nationalities

Recent official data, revealed by Hebrew media sources on Saturday, showed that approximately 50,632 soldiers in the Israeli occupation army hold at least one foreign nationality in addition to their Israeli nationality. This revelation came based on data provided by the army in response to a request submitted by the 'Hatzlacha' association, which specializes in transparency and freedom of information, highlighting the extent of international overlap in the human composition of the military establishment.

The American nationality topped the list of foreign nationalities within the army by a wide margin, with 12,135 soldiers holding it, followed in second place by French nationality with 6,127 individuals. Russian nationality came in third with 5,067 soldiers, reflecting the diversity of origins and backgrounds from which fighters in various military units of the occupation hail.

The announced list also included large numbers of European nationality holders, with more than 3,000 soldiers holding German nationality, and a similar number holding Ukrainian nationality. Statistics also recorded the presence of more than a thousand soldiers for each of the British, Romanian, Polish, Canadian, and Ethiopian nationalities, while the remaining numbers were distributed among various international nationalities around the world.

In a striking detail regarding the multiplicity of legal loyalties, the data indicated that 4,440 soldiers hold two additional foreign nationalities, while 162 soldiers possess three foreign nationalities in addition to Israeli. Sources clarified that this information, requested in March 2025, represents the first time such precise details have been disclosed, despite the army's refusal to clarify the distribution of these soldiers between regular forces and reserve forces.

These figures come at a time when military estimates indicate that the regular army strength is about 170,000 soldiers, while the reserve system includes between 400,000 and 460,000 personnel. These statistics raise questions about the commitments of these soldiers to their home countries, especially in light of potential international legal prosecutions against foreign nationals participating in military operations.

This is the first time the army has revealed in detail the distribution of foreign nationalities among its personnel.