On January 5, 2025, Yuval Vagdani, an Israeli army reservist, fled Brazil while on vacation after a federal judge in the country opened a war crimes investigation into Vagdani over his alleged involvement in demolishing homes in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Brazilian judge used a legal tool called “universal jurisdiction” to pursue Vagdani. Universal jurisdiction allows governments to prosecute individuals for serious crimes, regardless of where they’ve been committed. The case itself was the result of a complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based legal group pursuing action against perpetrators, accomplices, and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. Since its establishment, the foundation has submitted more than 30 complaints against members of Israel’s military — from senior-level officials to lower-ranking personnel — around the world, as well as filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli soldiers (including dual nationals from France, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza.
HRF’s complaints are primarily based on information Israeli soldiers have posted on social media engaging in possible war crimes, such as the destruction and occupation of Palestinian civilian infrastructure and looting of personal belongings.
“Never before have we seen a national military organization like the IOF [Israel Occupation Forces] publishing their crimes,” HRF’s lead lawyer, Haroon Raza, told MintPress News. “They think they’re superior. The only way in which you can publish this stuff is when you think you’re right, because the other side is inferior as a people.”
But it’s not just HRF that’s motivated to hold Israeli soldiers accountable. An X account called “Israel Genocide Tracker” documents Israeli soldiers’ activities in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as where soldiers spend their vacations. Media uploaded to the platform shows Israeli soldiers detonating civilian properties, vandalizing homes, fooling around in abandoned hospitals, and even smiling and smoking next to a blindfolded Palestinian detainee. (more...)
Pariah State: Israeli Soldiers Face Arrests and Travel Bans Worldwide
We have officially submitted our ICC complaint along with the evidence, to 8 countries through their embassies in The Hague.
— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) October 12, 2024
We call on these countries to issue Interpol arrest warrants against 1000 Israeli soldiers.
Among these countries are Spain, Ireland, and South Africa.
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