Revealed: Over 50 Britons fought for Israel amid Gaza genocide

Over 50 Britons have served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) during the Gaza genocide, Declassified can reveal.

The data comes in a report on “Lone Soldiers” published earlier this year by the Knesset Research and Information Center within Israel’s parliament.

A “lone soldier” is defined as an IDF member without family in Israel to support them. They include immigrants who arrive in Israel alone and volunteers from abroad.

The report details how there were over 3,000 lone soldiers serving in the IDF in August 2024, with 54 of them from Britain.

It is unclear whether any of the Britons have returned home after fighting for Israel, and the Foreign Office did not comment on whether it has been tracking their movements.

The Metropolitan Police also failed to respond to our questions about whether they would be investigated for potential involvement in war crimes in Gaza.

The revelation comes as the Israeli army seeks to recruit more foreign soldiers, with the IDF aiming to fill a manpower shortage of around 10,000-12,000 soldiers.

Paul Heron, a lawyer with the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), told Declassified: “Let’s be clear: British citizens who travel to join the Israeli military while it commits genocide are not heroes or ‘volunteers’; they are potential perpetrators of war crimes.

“No one can hide behind the defence of ‘just following orders’ when the world is witnessing war crimes in real time.

“The British government cannot claim ignorance. It must place serious investigative resources and prosecute those responsible for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“The law applies to everyone and those aiding or abetting Israel’s genocide in Gaza must be held to account”.

‘Craziest’

The latest figures suggest the number of British nationals in the IDF may have declined since the genocide began in October 2023.

The UK Foreign Office previously told Declassified: “We hold a record of British National lone soldiers in Israel, which according to the Israeli MFA [foreign ministry] as of September 2023, was 80”.

They added: “This is not the [total] number of British Nationals serving in the IDF, this is the number of British Nationals who immigrated on their own, in order to serve”.

There are likely far more British-Israeli dual nationals, as well as Britons who emigrated to Israel with family, that have served in the IDF. At least two have died fighting in Gaza.

Last year, Declassified published the names and photographs of 15 Britons who have fought for Israel during the Gaza genocide.

Some of them served in Israel’s “craziest” combat units which view Palestinian fighters as “rats” and “animals”.

The Metropolitan police’s war crimes unit was handed a complaint against 10 Britons serving in the IDF earlier this year.

The 240-page dossier accused the British suspects of “targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, including by sniper fire, and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas”.

It was submitted by PILC and the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

“British nationals are under a legal obligation not to collude with crimes committed in Palestine. No one is above the law”, said Michael Mansfield, one of the lawyers who issued the complaint.

The UK government’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state might also mean that Britons serving in the IDF could be in breach of the Foreign Enlistment Act.

This law, passed in 1870, makes it an offence for Britons “to fight for a foreign state at war with another state with which the UK is at peace”.

Lone soldiers

The Knesset report, which was published in Hebrew, focuses on how “lone soldiers and lone immigrant soldiers face unique challenges during their military service in the IDF”.

For this reason, lone soldiers are “entitled to various forms of assistance” in Israel, including financial aid, housing, emotional support, and civilian partnerships.

This assistance helps to support the soldiers while they are serving in the IDF but while also enticing foreign nationals to enlist.

“As of August 2024, thousands of lone soldiers serve in the IDF”, the report says. “They come from diverse backgrounds and countries of origin, including the United States, France, Russia, and Ukraine”.

Around 2 percent of the total number of lone immigrant soldiers come from Britain, or one in fifty.

33 of those Britons joined through the Tzabar programme, which is a support system for young Jewish adults to “make Aliyah” (move to Israel) and serve in the IDF.

Others may have joined through the Volunteers from Abroad (Mahal) scheme, which is an 18-month service track for those who don’t wish to make the move to Israel permanent.

The presence of lone immigrant soldiers in Israel, the report notes, “reflects both the global connection to Israel and the personal commitment of individuals who choose to serve despite lacking local family support”.