Issuance of correction direction under the POFMA 2019 for falsehoods on The Online Citizen and Heidoh.com websites relating to CMNS and Minister for Home Affairs' reply regarding Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs is aware of an article published on 5 March 2026 by Terry Xu and Miao Yi Infotech Ltd on the websites and social media accounts of The Online Citizen (TOC) and the website Heidoh.com (Heidoh), that contains false statements concerning Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs’ reply to Parliamentary Questions (PQs) on Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the Gaza conflict.

Falsehoods

2. The article makes the following false statements of fact:

(a) The Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs deliberately chose to give incomplete answers to the PQs on the two Singaporeans who allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.

(b) Apart from the information in the Declassified UK article, the Government had information to act on, including identifying information of the two Singaporeans who allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, as evidenced from its formal request to Israel.

(c) The Government is able to identify the two Singaporeans who have allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict but has chosen not to identify them.

(d) The Government has deliberately chosen not to take action under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) against the two Singaporeans who have allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict in order to preserve diplomatic relations with Israel.

(e) The Government did not issue directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (POFMA) in respect of the source which stated that two Singaporeans had served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict because this statement was true.

(f) The Government has decided not to use Section 125 of the Penal Code 1871 (PC) against the two Singaporeans who have allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, because of Singapore’s cordial relations and longstanding defence and intelligence ties with Israel.


Facts

The Government does not have any substantiated information so far, that any Singaporean had served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.

3. On 11 February 2026, Declassified UK published data purportedly obtained from the IDF, which suggested that there were two Singapore passport holders amongst a number of individuals with two or more nationalities, who were serving in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.

4. On 5 March 2026, the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (Minister) answered three PQs in relation to allegations that two Singaporeans had served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict. The Minister’s reply to the three PQs and Supplementary Questions is annexed below. Among other things, the reply stated the following:

(a) the Ministry of Home Affairs did not have any substantiated information that any Singaporean had served, or is serving, in the IDF; and

(b) the Government has approached the Israeli Government to seek clarifications on the allegations, but has not received a response.

5. As stated in the PQ reply, thus far, the Government has no information that any Singaporean had served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, apart from the information in the article published by Declassified UK.^[1] The article which alleged that two Singaporeans were serving in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, did not provide any particulars or identifying information of these two alleged Singaporeans.

6. The Government has no information on the veracity of these allegations, nor on the identity of these two Singaporeans who had purportedly served in the IDF, and had therefore made a request to the Israeli Government for information. The Government has not received a response from the Israeli Government thus far.

7. It is therefore false to suggest that the Minister deliberately chose to give incomplete answers to the PQs. His reply to the PQs was given based on all the information available to him.

8. It is also false to suggest that the Government had specific information beyond the Declassified UK article to act on, or that the Government is able to identify the two Singaporeans who were allegedly serving in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.

The Government did not issue directions under the POFMA against the Declassified UK article as it did not have information to verify whether the allegations were true or false.

9. Similarly, in the absence of further information, the Government is unable to assess whether any false statements of fact were communicated in the Declassified UK article. Consequently, no action was taken under POFMA against the Declassified UK article.

10. It is therefore false to suggest that the Government has not issued directions under the POFMA in respect of the Declassified UK article because these allegations are true.

The Government has not taken action under the ISA or the PC against the two Singaporeans who had purportedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, because we do not have substantiated information on the veracity of the allegations nor on their identity.

11. Singaporeans found to be fighting or planning to fight in foreign armed conflicts, regardless of the cause or side they are supporting, will be dealt with sternly in accordance with our laws, including under the ISA if they are found to be a threat to our national security. Several Singaporeans have been detained, or issued with Restriction Orders, on such grounds in the past.

12. As explained, at this juncture, the Government does not have any information on the veracity of the allegations that two Singaporeans had allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, nor on their identity.

13. It is therefore false to suggest that the Government is not taking action against Singaporeans serving in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, on account of Singapore’s diplomatic relations and/or longstanding defence and intelligence ties with Israel.


Issuance of Correction Direction

14. The Government takes a serious view of the deliberate communication of falsehoods.

15. The Coordinating Minister for National Security and the Minister for Home Affairs has instructed the POFMA Office to issue a POFMA Correction Direction (CD) to Terry Xu and Miao Yi Infotech in relation to articles on the TOC and Heidoh websites, and Facebook, Instagram and YouTube posts on TOC’s social media accounts. The CD requires Terry Xu and Miao Yi Infotech Ltd to insert Correction Notices (CN) relating to the original articles/posts, with a link to the Government’s clarification.

16. TOC has a track record of repeatedly communicating falsehoods. In July 2025, the TOC website and its Facebook, X and Instagram pages were designated as Declared Online Locations (DOLs) under POFMA. This is the second time that TOC’s online locations were designated as DOLs. The first Declaration was made in July 2023 against TOC's website, Facebook, X and LinkedIn pages. This is also the 25th Correction Direction that has been issued in connection with falsehoods communicated by Terry Xu, The Online Citizen and other affiliated publications.

17. Under Section 11(3)(b) of the POFMA, the Minister has the authority to require the recipient of a CD to publish a print CN in a specified newspaper. The CD also requires Terry Xu and Miao Yi Infotech Ltd to publish a print CN in The Straits Times for accountability and to correct the public record. The public is encouraged to be discerning when engaging with information published on TOC’s and Heidoh’s platforms.

18. For the facts of the case, please refer to the Factually article “Corrections regarding false statements on Minister for Home Affairs’ PQ reply on Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces”.


Police Investigations

19. Aside from the POFMA action, the Police are also looking into this matter to determine if there are any potential criminal offences arising from the statements made in the article.

[1] Therefore, the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs stated in the reply to the PQs that the Ministry of Home Affairs has no substantiated information confirming that any Singaporean has served, or is serving, in the IDF.


Annex

1. Oral PQ Reply to Queries on Singaporeans serving in the IDF ↗ (opens in new tab)