Jakarta. The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it could not immediately confirm or deny the reports of an Indonesian national lending a hand to the Israeli military in the Gaza war.

Al-Jazeera recently revealed that over 50,000 foreigners had joined the Israeli army in the genocidal war in Gaza as of March 2025. One of them is an Indonesian passport holder. The Doha-based news outlet published the story based on information obtained by the Israeli non-profit Hatzlacha through Israel’s Freedom of Information Law. The article does not disclose more details on this Indonesian except that he or she is listed as a dual national.

To the Jakarta Globe, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela admitted that the Indonesian Embassy in Amman was “unaware of the report”. The embassy in question covers Palestine.

“The Foreign Ministry is ready to coordinate with the Law Ministry as they are in charge of citizenship matters, to further verify the information and take follow-up measures in accordance with the applicable laws,” Nabyl told the Globe via text.

The Law Ministry did not immediately respond to the Globe’s requests for comments. 

Several Indonesians have signed up for foreign militaries in recent years, including a woman called Kezia Syifa, who had gone viral for serving in the Maryland Army National Guard. Ex-policeman Muhammad Rio, not long ago, took over the news cycle after becoming a mercenary for the Russian force fighting in Ukraine. 

Senior law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has previously stated Indonesia would not automatically revoke one’s citizenship if they fight for foreign combat forces without President Prabowo Subianto’s permission, citing that they “have to undergo certain administrative procedures first”. The individual will remain an Indonesian until there is an official decision by the Law Ministry that states otherwise.

Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 72,061 people.

The Indonesian government has been catching flak for joining the Board of Peace, a Donald Trump-chaired oversight body for the Gaza ceasefire. Senior officials have repeatedly stated that Jakarta would prioritize Palestinian interests, despite sitting at the same table as Israel. Prabowo, now en route to Washington, is set to attend the board’s inaugural meeting on Thursday local time. Work is underway to prepare Indonesian troops for a peacekeeping mission in the war-torn Gaza as part of another Trump-led initiative. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. Its people have displayed staunch support for Palestinians, even joining movements to boycott Israeli-affiliated products.

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