The Ditch can reveal that 75 Irish citizens have served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during its genocide in Gaza.
Opposition first demanded answers from government about Irish nationals serving with Israeli forces – while they committed war crimes against Palestinians – two years ago.
Then foreign affairs minister Micheál Martin didn’t answer whether his department would warn Irish citizens of the potential criminal consequences of serving in the IDF when TD Catherine Connolly asked him a parliamentary question in November 2023.
Two months later Martin also refused to answer TD Richard Boyd Barrett’s question about whether he was aware of claims that Irish citizens were serving in the IDF.
Declassified UK reported yesterday that 2,000 Britons served in the IDF since October 2023, according to records released by Israeli authorities to NGO Hatzlacha.
The Ditch, along with Berlin-based journalist Yossi Bartal, reviewed the records to confirm that 75 Irish citizens, who hold at least one other nationality, were IDF service members as of March 2025.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.
