Over 50,000 Foreigners Serve in The Israeli Army
CrossFireArabia- February 14, 2026
Israeli military data identifies over 50,000 foreign nationals, including Western and Arab citizens, serving during the Gaza genocide.
Key Developments
- Israeli figures show over 50,000 soldiers hold foreign citizenship alongside Israeli nationality.
- Largest contingents come from the United States, France and Russia, alongside multiple European states.
- Rights groups urge investigations under universal jurisdiction laws over Gaza war conduct.
- Legal complaints already filed in Canada, Belgium and Britain targeting suspected war crimes.
Detailed Nationality Breakdown
Newly disclosed Israeli military data has revealed the extensive multinational composition of its armed forces, with 50,632 soldiers holding at least one foreign nationality in addition to Israeli citizenship.
According to figures published by Yedioth Ahronoth and detailed in regional reporting, the largest contingent consists of 12,135 United States nationals.
They are followed by 6,127 French nationals and 5,067 Russian nationals.
The data further records 3,901 German nationals, 3,210 Ukrainian nationals, 1,686 British nationals, and 1,675 Romanian nationals serving in the army.
Additional figures list 1,207 multi-national US citizens, 337 multi-national French citizens, 102 multi-national Russian citizens, 292 multi-national German citizens, and 56 multi-national Ukrainian citizens.
The list also includes recruits from Poland, Canada, and several Latin American countries, alongside smaller numbers holding Arab nationalities, including Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria.
Beyond dual nationality status, the data shows 4,440 soldiers hold two additional foreign citizenships, while 162 soldiers possess three or more foreign nationalities.
The publication marks one of the most detailed official disclosures illustrating the global reach of recruitment into the Israeli military across North America, Europe and other regions.
Role During the Gaza War
The presence of foreign nationals has gained particular relevance following the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, during which tens of thousands of dual- and multi-national soldiers participated in military operations.
The multinational composition indicates the conflict extends beyond diplomatic and military support into direct participation by citizens of numerous countries in combat activities.
This has intensified scrutiny over whether individuals may bear personal criminal liability for actions carried out during the war.
Growing Legal Scrutiny
Legal experts say the participation of foreign nationals opens the door to prosecutions under the principle of universal jurisdiction, allowing courts to pursue suspected war crimes regardless of nationality or location.
International organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for independent investigations and urged governments to examine the conduct of their citizens who served in the conflict.
Several countries have already seen legal action. Canadian federal police opened investigations into suspected war crimes believed to involve dual-national reservists. In Belgium and the United Kingdom, rights organizations filed complaints before national authorities and the International Criminal Court targeting hundreds of individuals, including European citizens.
Political Implications
The disclosures place Western governments under increasing pressure, as many provide political and military support to Israel while also facing potential legal obligations toward their nationals serving abroad.
The issue complicates diplomatic positions, particularly in countries whose domestic law restricts participation in foreign armed forces or mandates prosecution of grave international crimes.
According to Palestinian authorities, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and over 171,000 wounded, while roughly 90% of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.
Human rights organizations say ongoing documentation efforts and legal cases are likely to expand as evidence from the conflict continues to emerge. – Palestine Chronicle
Gaza Beach Painting Relieves War Traumas
- CrossFireArabia
- February 14, 2026
In a gesture of resilience and hope that rises above the aftermath of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza and the continued violations of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinian girls organized a seaside painting workshop in Gaza City.
The workshop, titled Breathe and Paint, was held on Thursday and underscored how the sea has become a place of refuge not only for artists, but for Palestinians seeking relief after enduring the genocidal war that began in October 2023.
Set against sunlight and gentle sea breezes, the initiative offered moments of calm and reflection, symbolizing life’s persistence despite attempts to extinguish it.
Anadolu attended the workshop, which took place at the fishing port west of Gaza City, away from areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
The event gave young Palestinian girls, many bearing deep psychological scars from the war, space to express emotions through art.
Using vivid colors, the participants momentarily set aside the trauma of war. Some painted Palestinian women in traditional dress, while others depicted the sea, the sun, and open horizons, reflecting hopes of renewal despite devastation.
Drawings of the map of Palestine and the national flag also featured prominently, painted by young girls as expressions of belonging and attachment to their homeland.
Israel targets art
During the genocidal war, Israeli forces destroyed major cultural and artistic landmarks across Gaza — actions Palestinians say were aimed at erasing their cultural identity.
Among the destroyed sites was the Rashad Al-Shawa Cultural Center in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, established in 1985.
Israeli attacks also killed dozens of Palestinian artists, including visual artist Heba Zaqout during the war’s first month, theater artist Durgham Qreiqa in March 2025, and standup comedian Mahmoud Shurrab, who was killed when his tent was struck in Khan Younis in June 2025.
Palestinian and international organizations, including UNESCO, repeatedly condemned the targeting of artists, but Tel Aviv has ignored these denunciations and continued its assaults.
A space to breathe
Participant Farah Ajjour said the sea offered rare emotional relief after two years of confinement under war.
“This workshop gave us a chance to release what we were holding inside,” she told Anadolu.
Amid gentle sea breezes brushing her weary face, she said life had been on pause and that she now longs to resume it.
She added: “After the cultural center in Gaza City was destroyed (by the Israeli army), we no longer had a place to practice art.”
Insisting on continuing with life, she said: “I want my voice to be heard through my art. There is no place where I can do that except the seashore; that’s why we are here today.”
Art as resistance
Workshop organizer Noura Al-Qassasiya said the initiative aimed to restore color to the lives of girls deprived of normalcy for more than two years.
“Art helps us communicate the harsh reality of the Israeli genocide,” she said, noting that reaching the location itself was difficult due to widespread destruction and displacement.
She explained that the sea was chosen because it remained untouched by bombardment.
“The people of Gaza love art,” she said. “We want to do that not only through bloody and heartbreaking images, as was the case over the past two years, but also through art.”
Participant Amal Darwish said painting finally allowed her to speak after years of silence.
“Through art, I found space to tell our story and express resistance,” she said, adding that her greatest wish was for life to return “in bright colors.”
Throughout the workshop, fear, loss, and grief were transformed into paintings, alongside visions of a life participants still hope to reclaim.
The Oct. 10, 2025 ceasefire agreement ended Israel’s two-year war that began on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinian authorities say the conflict killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded over 171,000 others, and caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure. The UN estimates reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.
At least 591 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,578 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Trump’s War Through Politics
- CrossFireArabia
- February 14, 2026
By Dr Amani Al-Qarm
About 2,500 years ago, there was a Chinese general named Sun Tzu, renowned for his military genius and unique philosophy on achieving decisive victory. He compiled his vision in a famous book called “The Art of War.” Sun Tzu states in his book that subduing the enemy without fighting is better than winning a hundred battles, and that a skilled commander feeds on his enemies.
This means exploiting the enemy’s resources, weaknesses, and even strengths, striking at their strategy and alliances, and besieging them to achieve victory, rather than relying solely on one’s own resources. In other words, achieving victory at the lowest cost is preferable to destroying a country, and capturing the head of state is better than killing him.
The Trump administration’s slogan, “Peace Through Strength,” is not new to American administrations, but it was perhaps more blatant and explicit during Trump’s presidency, as was the case with everything else under his rule: no embellishment, no lofty phrases, no justifications to appease hypocritical Western arrogance, such as democracy and human rights. There are only declared and clear objectives: oil, minerals, money, and control without cost.
The entire world is watching the current unique American approach to dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Just when the world expected an American strike on Iran, the door was opened for negotiations under the auspices of the massive aircraft carrier USS Lincoln and its destroyers and missiles stationed in the Arabian Sea.
This leaves allies and adversaries alike bewildered and unable to predict the outcome, while Trump maintains the element of surprise and the timing of the strike. It seems that Trump is not content with the slogan “Peace Through Strength” alone, but has added to it some of the principles of General Sun Tzu’s doctrine. Trump Feeds on His Enemies:
Iran is in a state of weakness unprecedented in decades. Internally, the country is seething with poverty and oppression, and the recent protests are unlike any before. Internal affairs are no longer purely domestic; they now carry external costs, given the threats the US president has made against the Iranian regime throughout the past month.
Furthermore, the country is strategically exposed. Its alliances have been shattered, and it and those who deal with it economically and militarily are besieged. The time is ripe to pounce on the prey. And because, as Tzu said, subduing the enemy without cost is better than winning a hundred battles, Trump has opened the door to negotiations to achieve his objectives.
What does Trump want from Iran? Is he negotiating to restore relations between the two countries? Or to liberate the Iranian people? Of course not. He seeks victory without a fight. The collapse of the country as a result of war would transform it into scattered chaos throughout the region, as has already been witnessed in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and Syria.
Therefore, containing it to the greatest extent possible and completely changing its hostile behavior since 1979 is preferable to destroying it. And to strip it of everything it considers its sources of power: eradicating any nuclear ambitions, eliminating its missile program, and reducing its regional role to the bare minimum, while also constantly reminding it that America is serious and ready to confront it. From America’s perspective, qualitative and nuclear superiority should belong only to Israel in the region.
What happens next depends on Iranian behavior. Will it submit and be pragmatic, as it has been in the crises that have characterized its relationship with the United States since 1979, or will the Iranian regime feel that this crisis is existential, thus raising the voice of ideology where there is no turning back?
This article is republished from the Arabic Al Rai Al Youm website.
German Visit to Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ Slammed
- CrossFireArabia
- February 13, 2026
Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner’s visit to Gaza under Israeli military escort has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers who called it a one-sided tour that excluded Palestinian perspectives.
The conservative politician traveled on Thursday with the Israeli army into what is known as the “Yellow Line” – an area occupied by Israeli forces for months that international observers fear could become permanent.
Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesman for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), criticized the visit in remarks to public broadcaster ARD, saying it sent the wrong message just days after Israel announced plans for de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank.
“This must not be legitimized,” the lawmaker said. “And such a visit to the Gaza Strip with the Israeli army does not help to clarify or criticize these plans, but may even give them further support.”
Ahmetovic noted that Kloeckner’s itinerary included no meetings with high-ranking Palestinian representatives. “No visit to the West Bank, no visit to East Jerusalem, and during her planned visit to Gaza, she didn’t listen to a single voice,” he said. “That’s something that’s difficult to explain.”
Franziska Brantner, co-leader of the oppostion Greens party, echoed the criticism in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine.
“It is good that Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner wants to see Gaza for herself,” she said.
“But if she does so without even listening to the Palestinian side, she must accept the criticism that she only wants to perceive reality in this region from one perspective,” she said.
Kloeckner’s Israel trip began on Tuesday. She visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Wednesday, followed by a red carpet reception at the Knesset. She dismissed the criticisms, saying she raised the humanitarian situation in Gaza in meetings with Israeli officials and discussed the developments with opposition representatives and nongovernmental organizations. Anadolu
