SINGAPORE: IDF Data Suggests Singapore Nationals May Be Among Dual Citizens Serving in Israeli Military During Gaza War

Posted by Asia Views | Feb 20, 2026 | 0 |

MalayMail/AsiaOne-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. Singapore does not recognize 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. Other nationalities among IDF members include Russians (5,067), Germans (3,901), Ukrainians (3,210), and British citizens (1,686). Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2026/02/19/idf-data-suggests-singapore-nationals-may-be-among-dual-citizens-serving-in-israeli-military-during-gaza-war/209667

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

SINGAPORE: IDF Data Suggests Singapore Nationals May Be Among Dual Citizens Serving in Israeli Military During Gaza War

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