Breadcrumb
Israel prepares to assist soldiers over mounting Gaza war crimes prosecutions
The Israeli government is preparing to assist soldiers abroad in case they face arrest and legal action over alleged war crimes in Gaza, following cases filed by a pro-Palestine group.
Israeli officials have begun coordinating with local law firms internationally to provide immediate legal assistance to Israeli officials facing prosecution for their actions in Gaza and already warned soldiers and reservists against travel abroad, according to Haaretz.
At least 45,854 people have been killed since Israel began their harrowing assault on Gaza in October 2023, which has seen almost the entire population of the Palestinian enclave displaced.
It comes after a Brazilian court ordered an investigation into an Israeli reservist who had fought in Gaza over allegations of war crimes.
The order is a first internationally, although at least 12 complaints are known by the Israeli foreign ministry to have been filed including in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and South Africa, according to Israeli press.
It followed complaints filed by the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation, which says it has given the ICC the names of 1,000 Israeli soldiers involved in alleged crimes in Gaza.
Israeli legal officials are working to prevent investigations or arrests, according to Haaretz, although many note that statements by government members undermine efforts to defend soldiers.
Additionally, the report noted that the Military Advocate General's Corps, the Israeli foreign ministry, the National Security Council and the Shin Bet intelligence agency have formed a joint task force to analyse the risks to soldiers travelling abroad and are monitoring investigations.
The Hind Rajab Foundation told °®Âþµº that these actions "underscore the increasing pressure on Israel as the world moves to hold war criminals accountable".
"These measures, while aimed at protecting their personnel, also indicate a tactic acknowledgement of the validity of our complaints and legal strategy."
The foundation, named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Gazan girl killed in her car by Israeli soldiers despite repeated warnings by aid agencies, said it would continue its work to bring the perpetrators of war crimes against Palestinians to justice.
Israeli soldiers have systematically documented their service in Gaza, with many posting videos of themselves blowing up civilian infrastructure such as housing, rummaging through civilian homes, and making dehumanising statements against Palestinians.
Following the Brazil investigation, on Sunday the Israeli foreign ministry issued a warning to its citizens over social media posts relating to their military service, which could be used as evidence by foreign prosecutors.
Israel's war on Gaza has already seen arrest warrants placed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Israel is also fighting a genocide case brought about by South Africa at the International Court of Justice. The court has ruled it plausible that Israeli action in Gaza could amount to genocide.
Numerous humanitarian organisations have also labelled Israel's war on the enclave a genocide, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Israeli human rights organisation B'tselem has accused the Israeli army of deliberately starving Gaza and carrying out ethnic cleansing in the north of the enclave.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed 45,854 people, with a further 109,139 wounded, displacing most of the enclave's population and destroying much of its infrastructure.