Spanish-Israeli dual citizen dies in Gaza attack

Maya Villalobo and the dual citizenship that mandates Israeli service

Military service in Israel is compulsory for women as well. This fact clarifies the surprise: a 19-year-old from Seville holding a Spanish passport was stationed at Battalion 414 of the Nahal Oz base, just kilometers from the Gaza Strip, when Hamas militants breached the perimeter. Her name, Maya Villalobo Sinvany, appears in videos and statements released after the assault on the military facility.

Her father, Eduardo Villalobo, a professor at the University of Seville, appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in Madrid via X (formerly Twitter) after failing to reach his daughter. Messages circulated over the weekend were explicit: "More than a day has passed since we lost contact. With her and the other observers of Battalion 414 at the Nahal Oz outpost." Hours later, published reports confirmed her murder.

What was seen at the Nahal Oz base during the assault?

The base appears in several videos occupied by Hamas militants who infiltrated through the border fence. Early images show the large communications tower and the watchtower, with dozens of attackers advancing across open ground toward the installation. A second video, recorded almost simultaneously by an armed drone, shows the start of the ambush: three Israeli soldiers next to a truck in the southern part of the base before the unmanned aircraft dropped at least two bombs on them.

One soldier appears seriously wounded and is seen taking cover near a nearby military vehicle. The footage does not clarify how many personnel were stationed there or if prolonged gunfire occurred. What is visible are Gazan fighters looting the facility, with some occupants perched atop tanks as a column of black smoke rose.

Mandatory military service: why a Sevillian was on the front line

Israel conscripts women with Israeli nationality. It is not a vocation but a legal obligation, and those who refuse face consequences that can include loss of nationality. This framework explains what many readers interpreted as an anomaly: a young woman raised in Seville fulfilling mandatory service just kilometers from Gaza.

This is where the disagreement begins. Some argue it was voluntary enlistment and draw conclusions about loyalties; others emphasize that with an Israeli passport, service is mandatory and nationality is not chosen at the border like customs. The father is Spanish and the mother Israeli: dual citizenship stems from parentage, not administrative shortcuts.

What Law 12/2015 allows and when a passport can be revoked

Two distinct norms intersect here. Law 12/2015, with a deadline closed in October 2019, enabled dual citizenship for Sephardic Jews originating from Spain, and Article 23(b) of the Civil Code exempts them from renouncing their previous nationality. This was cited by some voices as the cause of the case, although the origin here is familial, not Sephardic.

The lingering question is whether serving in a foreign army suffices to revoke the passport. One current claims there is no dual citizenship agreement between Spain and Israel and that Spanish nationality should be revoked under the law. On the other side, arguments state that the Civil Code protects this dual citizenship and revocation is not automatic. No public file exists regarding this specific case.

From "wanted to see the world" to demands for explanations

The father publicly bid farewell to his daughter with a phrase summarizing the mismatch: "She was cheerful, she wanted to see the world." The paternal family went further, calling it recklessness that a girl would be on the front line. The debate is no longer about passports, but why a base near Gaza concentrated 19-year-old soldiers.

This is the point where the issue moves from administrative to matters of responsibility. Details on the base's security setup or troop numbers have not been provided. Without that data, any conclusion about what peine at Nahal Oz is speculation.

Spanish military service, conscientious objectors, and the 1989 mirror

For decades, young Spaniards performed mandatory military service, and those declaring themselves conscientious objectors faced prison. Faced with a wave of objectors, in 1984 the Government proposed alternative service, which most rejected, and between February and June 1989 nearly 200 refusers voluntarily presented themselves to judges to refuse both services. The precedent resurfaces in discussion: refusing to serve is not a historical rarity.

In parallel, the matter drifted toward positions on loyalties and second passports unsupported by case data. Part of the commentary also turned to generalizations about religious communities unrelated to what peine at Nahal Oz and unsupported by investigation elements. The verifiable fact is another: a young woman with two nationalities died in a military base accessed through a border fence.

If having two passports obligates service where one was not born, how many dual citizens truly know what they commit to when one of those countries enters war?