Singapore’s MHA says it has no verified information on claims Singaporeans served in IDF

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says it is aware of a foreign report claiming that two Singapore passport holders were among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel involved in the Gaza conflict, but it has not verified the allegation.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, MHA said it “does not have any substantiated information at this point that any Singaporean is/was fighting as part of the IDF”.

The ministry was responding to a report published on 11 February 2026 by British investigative outlet Declassified UK, which said IDF data indicated more than 50,000 soldiers holding Israeli and at least one other nationality had taken part in the conflict.

Declassified UK reported that the dataset included two Singapore passport holders: one recorded as an Israeli citizen with Singapore nationality, and another recorded as holding multiple nationalities including Singaporean and Israeli citizenship.

The report did not identify the individuals, specify their roles, or state the period of their service or deployment, limiting what can be concluded from the figures alone.

Declassified UK said the data was obtained through a freedom of information request submitted to the IDF under Israel’s Freedom of Information Law by Elad Man, a lawyer associated with Israeli non-governmental organisation Hatzlacha.

The issue drew wider attention in Singapore after Amrin Amin, a former Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs, posted on Facebook on 18 February 2026 that the development was “concerning and needs clarification”.

In the post, Amrin said Singapore citizens and permanent residents cannot serve in a foreign armed force without proper authorisation, and reiterated that “Singaporeans should not take up arms in other people’s wars”.

Singapore law has previously been cited by MHA as prohibiting Singaporeans from taking up arms for a foreign force, including in the context of the Russia–Ukraine war in March 2022, with penalties that can include lengthy imprisonment and fines.

Singapore also generally does not allow dual citizenship, though the Constitution provides that those below 21 years old may hold more than one citizenship before having to choose one thereafter.

Amrin’s post additionally pointed to the dual nationality issue, noting Singapore’s longstanding position against dual citizenship and stressing that public confidence depends on clear facts and transparent clarification if the claims are inaccurate.

The Declassified UK report focused on foreign nationals in the IDF, stating that the largest cohorts of dual or multi-national soldiers came from countries including the United States and France, alongside other nationalities.

Separate media reports have summarised similar headline figures, while noting that the IDF has cautioned soldiers with multiple citizenships may be counted more than once in some tallies.

The claims surfaced amid continuing international scrutiny of the Gaza war, which began after Hamas’ attacks on 7 October 2023, and Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza.

As of mid-February 2026, Gaza’s Health Ministry estimated that at least 72,063 people had been killed since the start of the war, figures that some international bodies report with attribution while noting independent verification limitations.

Separately, a Reuters report on 19 February 2026 cited a study published in The Lancet Global Health that estimated deaths in the war’s first 15 months were significantly higher than figures reported at the time, underscoring continuing debate about casualty measurement and undercounting.