Hamas slams Israel’s ‘moral decay’ for recruiting African asylum seekers to fight in Gaza

Hamas has slammed Israel following media reports that it is offering permanent residency status to African asylum seekers who agree to fight in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement issued yesterday, Hamas described the recruitment of asylum seekers as “a violation of the most basic rules of human rights, by exploiting the need of immigrants and asylum seekers.” It added that this is “an attempt to compensate for the great loss” the occupation army has experienced “due to the confrontation of our brave people’s resistance in the Gaza Strip.”

Hamas called on the international community and international human rights institutions “to condemn this crime that expresses the behaviour of racist gangs, and take the necessary measures to hold the criminal occupation leaders accountable for their serious violations of the laws of war and international and humanitarian law.”

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on Sunday that the Israeli army has exploited African asylum seekers in the war effort in the Gaza Strip as mercenaries, risking their lives in exchange for assisting their request to obtain permanent status in the country.

The paper quoted Israeli army officials as claiming that “the project was carried out in an organised manner, and was accompanied by legal advice, but the moral aspect of recruiting asylum seekers was not discussed at all.”

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