Hamas: Recruitment of African asylum seekers highlights deep moral crisis of ‘Israel’

GAZA, (Palestinian Information Center)

Hamas has claimed that recent reports in the Israeli media showing that the Israeli military is using “African asylum seekers” as mercenaries are evidence of the deep moral crisis within Israel.

Haaretz reported Sunday that the Israeli military is forcing African asylum seekers to participate in potentially dangerous military operations in Gaza by offering them the incentive of permanent residency. The newspaper claims that the practice involves using the promise of permanent residency to secure the asylum seekers’ involvement in life-threatening missions.

The statement further revealed that the project is being carried out in a structured manner, under the supervision of legal experts from the military.

In a recent press release, Hamas claimed that Israel’s recruitment of immigrants and asylum seekers constitutes a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights. The group alleges that Israel is exploiting these vulnerable populations to bolster its military forces, reportedly to compensate for significant losses suffered during its ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has called on the international community and human rights organizations to condemn what it describes as a “criminal act” that points to the behavior of “racist gangs.” The group called for immediate measures against Israeli officials to hold them accountable for violations of international and humanitarian law.

According to Haaretz, there are about 30,000 African asylum seekers in Israel, most of whom are young.

According to an Israeli newspaper, unnamed security sources have reported that the Israeli military has deployed asylum seekers for dangerous assignments in several operations, some of which have been publicized in the media.