Israel said on Tuesday that pressure groups were pushing foreign courts to take action against Israelis for alleged war crimes in Gaza, but described the actions as “propaganda activity”. It said no warrants had been issued.
International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, and for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for his alleged role in planning the October 7, Attack on Israel 2023 .
The warrants caused outrage in Israel, but also fear that Israelis who served in the military in Gaza could be issued similar warrants.
On Sunday, an Israeli reservist vacationing in Brazil left the country after a Brazilian federal judge in El Salvador ordered police to open an investigation into allegations he committed war crimes while serving in the military in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, the pro-Palestinian group that brought the lawsuit, says on its website that it “focuses on offensive legal actions against perpetrators, accomplices and instigators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.” They said they filed the complaint based on video footage, geolocation data and photos they say show a reservist participating in the demolition of civilian homes.
A group based in Belgium, named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza last year, also said she had submitted evidence of alleged war crimes to the ICC against 1,000 Israelis, including video and audio reports, forensic reports and other documentation. The ICC confirmed it had received the submission and said it would “analyze the materials submitted, as appropriate”.
The problem is not widespread: Israel’s foreign ministry
Israel’s foreign ministry offered to help a reservist who was singled out in action, but officials said the problem was not widespread.
“This is a phenomenon of very limited scale in terms of numbers,” foreign ministry director-general Eden Bar Tal told reporters in Jerusalem, saying there had been no more than 10 to 12 cases since Israel’s Gaza campaign began 15 months ago.
“There was no warrant issued in any of these cases. So it was, I would say, relatively strong PR activity, but with very low, very, very low – zero – in court results.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif — all for alleged war crimes. The court has no power to make arrests or enforce warrants.
“We believe that this is a major propaganda activity in general and that it is sponsored by entities, a very small number of entities, that have direct ties to terrorist organizations.”
The founder of the Hind Rajab Foundation, Dyab Abou Jahjah, posted messages on the X social media platform promising to take legal action against the Israeli soldiers and asking for help in identifying them.
The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Complaints against IDF soldiers filed abroad
The case in Brazil attracted a lot of attention in Israel, highlighting fears that individuals outside the government and military leadership could be drawn into the issue of war crimes, particularly through social media posts.
The Israeli military has warned reservists they could face arrest abroad for alleged war crimes in Gaza, according to documents released by Israeli media. Haaretz reports that complaints against IDF soldiers have been filed in South Africa, Belgium and France, as well as in Brazil.
However, Rubens Becak, a law professor at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, said it is not always easy for third countries to respond to these types of claims.
“Without special legal regulation, it becomes very difficult for institutions such as [Federal Police of Brazil] act in such cases.”
