Increasing number of Palestinians, Israeli Arabs fighting in Syria

TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- About 30 Salafists from Gaza and up to 15 Israeli Arabs have joined jihadist rebels fighting against the Syrian regime, an Israeli intelligence report said.

The report was published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Information Center Sunday.

It said the Salafists (Sunni Muslims), Israeli Arabs, several dozen Palestinians from Lebanon and Syria and some from the West Bank have joined jihadist organizations, including the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in Syria, where they receive military training.

The number of Palestinian and Israeli Arabs fighters has increased in the past year but remains relatively low when compared to other groups of foreigners involved in the Syrian war.

Seven Palestinians from Gaza have been killed in the Syrian confict this year, the report said.

Palestinian and Israeli Arab fighters enter Syria from Turkey, the report states.