Israeli soldier visiting India faces Gaza war crimes complaint
Hind Rajab Foundation says evidence gathered from soldier’s own social media posts and satellite imagery links his military unit to destruction of Palestinian homes and farmland
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A human rights group has filed a criminal complaint in India against an Israeli soldier visiting the country, seeking to hold him accountable over the destruction of Palestinian homes and agricultural land during Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, or HRF, said Tuesday that the complaint concerns the soldier’s deployment in Abasan al-Saghira, near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, between March and April 2024.
The group alleges that his military unit carried out extensive destruction of civilian property that could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.
HRF said it identified the soldier partly through photographs and other material he posted on social media documenting his deployment in Gaza.
Investigators then combined those posts with satellite imagery and other open-source evidence to establish his unit’s presence in Abasan al-Saghira during the period of destruction.
The foundation argues that the demolitions were not simply damage caused during fighting. It alleges that homes and agricultural land were systematically destroyed after Israeli forces had established operational control over the area, raising questions over whether there was any military necessity for the destruction.
That distinction is central to the complaint. International humanitarian law prohibits extensive destruction of civilian property when it is not justified by military necessity, and HRF is asking Indian authorities to examine whether the soldier bears criminal responsibility for violations committed during the operation.
The foundation said its findings were consistent with investigations by Amnesty International into Israel’s destruction of Palestinian property along Gaza’s eastern perimeter, where Israeli forces have cleared large areas of buildings and agricultural land to establish a buffer zone.
HRF cited provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international humanitarian law governing the destruction of civilian property. It also argues that the alleged conduct should be investigated as crimes against humanity and acts of genocide under international criminal law.
“The suspect and his unit carried out systematic destruction of homes and agricultural land in Gaza,” HRF General Director Dyab Abou Jahjah said, adding that the organization wants India to act on its international legal obligations.
Natacha Bracq, HRF’s head of litigation, said the group’s investigation indicated that what happened in Abasan al-Saghira went beyond incidental wartime destruction.
She accused Israeli forces of carrying out a deliberate campaign aimed at removing Palestinian life from the area and facilitating territorial control.
The case is the second complaint HRF says it has filed in India as part of an international campaign targeting Israeli soldiers accused of crimes in Gaza when they travel abroad.
Rather than relying exclusively on international tribunals, the foundation has sought to use domestic legal systems to pursue Israeli military personnel outside Israel.
Since 2024, HRF says it has filed more than 100 criminal complaints across 30 jurisdictions and made 19 submissions to the International Criminal Court.
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