NEW DELHI: The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a war crimes complaint in India against an Israeli soldier visiting the country, accusing him of involvement in the deliberate demolition of civilian property in Gaza.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday, is the second brought by the organisation against an Israeli soldier visiting India.
The Hind Rajab Foundation is a Brussels-based non-profit organisation and is named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza; it tracks the overseas travel of Israeli soldiers and files criminal complaints in third countries to seek investigations under universal jurisdiction.
HRF has not publicly identified the latest soldier but says he participated directly in the destruction of civilian property in Abasan al-Saghira, in Gaza’s Khan Younis Governorate, between March and April 2024.
HRF seeks action in India
HRF said it used satellite imagery, social media footage and other open-source material to reconstruct demolitions in the area.
According to the organisation, its evidence indicates buildings were deliberately demolished rather than destroyed during active fighting.
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A lawyer representing HRF said India had obligations under the Geneva Conventions and international law to act.
The latest filing follows a complaint lodged in June against Israeli army reservist Eitan Gilboa over demolitions in Gaza. Indian authorities took no action before Gilboa left the country.
HRF is seeking to use international legal mechanisms to pursue Israeli military personnel accused of offences during the Gaza war when they travel abroad.
The latest complaint comes amid close diplomatic ties between India and Israel.
New Delhi has not joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and has maintained bilateral relations with the Israeli government throughout the Gaza conflict.
