Israel has reportedly been recruiting African asylum seekers to take part in military operations in Gaza in return for promises of permanent residency.

The practice has not yet been formally acknowledged by the Israeli government but reports in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, cited first-hand accounts and statements from defence officials.

According to the Haaretz reports, Israel is seeking to formalise the recruitment process with guidance from lawyers within the defence establishment.

But the paper says, despite promises of permanent legal status, none of the asylum seekers who have participated in the operations have been granted the rights they were promised.

Haaretz says at least three asylum seekers have been killed during Israeli assaults on Gaza the followed the October 7, 20234 Hamas attack.

One report told of an asylum seeker, who arrived in Israel at the age of 16 and holds temporary status. He reportedly said he received a call from a man identifying himself as a police officer.

He was asked to report to a security facility, where he was told the military was recruiting individuals for what was described as a “life-or-death war” for Israel.

The asylum seeker was offered a two-week training period, along with pay comparable to his current job. The reports said it was unclear why he and others were selected for military service.

Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, which began in response to the attack, have left more than 30,000 dead and 95,000 injured, according to recent reports.

There are currently about 30,000 African asylum seekers in Israel, with around 3,500 Sudanese citizens holding temporary status as they await court decisions on their applications.

Many of these asylum seekers have already been contributing to Israel’s war effort by volunteering for civilian duties, such as agricultural work and assisting in command centres.

The recruitment strategy has been widely criticized for exploiting the desperation of asylum seekers, many of whom fled their home countries due to conflict.

Critics argue that Israel is leveraging the vulnerable legal status of these individuals, offering them a path to residency at the cost of their lives in a high-risk war zone.

The use of asylum seekers in military operations has not only drawn condemnation from human rights groups but also sparked internal debate in Israel.

Critics argue that the policy takes advantage of individuals who are already marginalised. Past reports have claimed that Israel’s interior ministry has even explored drafting the children of asylum seekers educated in Israeli schools into military service, continuing a practice of allowing children of foreign workers to serve in exchange for residency status for their immediate families.