Turkey Launches Organized Hunt for Israelis, Targeting Dual Citizens

An organized system is operating in Turkey to track down Israeli citizens, particularly those with dual Turkish citizenship who have served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Activists are using social media and information about family members to identify these individuals, compiling details about their military service to initiate legal proceedings against them. This information is then transformed into materials for potential prosecution.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has reported that this is not an isolated issue but rather a network of organizations actively gathering intelligence on Israelis. One group, Freedom Watch Platform, uses open-source information, including social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, to identify Israelis holding Turkish passports who have served in the IDF. They scrutinize photos, posts, and connections to Jewish community accounts, attempting to confirm military service and identify specific units. Family members are also investigated to determine if they have ties to the Israeli military.

A notable case from February 2026 involved identifying a former soldier through her mother's social media post on the day of her IDF enlistment. Information about the soldier and her family's military connections was then published and used for a complaint.

The Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS) is reportedly involved in processing this gathered information into materials for potential criminal proceedings, aiming to create a list of IDF soldiers with Turkish citizenship. These collected data are intended to be presented as evidence to Turkish law enforcement. On March 7, a lawsuit was filed against Turkish citizens with dual nationality who had served in the Israeli army, following interactions between Freedom Watch Platform and the Turkish party HÜDA PAR.

The intensified search efforts reportedly began after the IDF disclosed information in February about soldiers holding foreign citizenship. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs believes a broader network of interconnected entities is behind this campaign, including organizations such as IHH, Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, Freedom Flotilla, and Mavi Marmara. The ministry views these actions as part of a larger trend of systematic legal pursuit against Israelis in Turkey, targeting not only Israeli state structures but also individual citizens, especially current and former IDF personnel.