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Could Israelis be prosecuted for war crimes in Germany?

26 8
16.01.2025

A Brussels-based foundation has made international headlines with its very specific mission: to prosecute Israeli soldiers suspected of war crimes while they're traveling abroad.

Last week, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) was in the news after its most successful attempt so far to prosecute an individual Israeli soldier. A judge in Brazil instructed federal police to investigate Yuval Vagdani, 21, who was on vacation there. Vagdani had previously posted videos and pictures of himself destroying civilian buildings in Gaza, HRF said.

Then, this week, HRF filed a complaint against Major General Ghassan Alian, the head of the Israeli government's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). He is known for comments he made three days after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 others.

"Human animals must be treated as such," Alian said in a video message directed at Gaza locals. "There will be no electricity and no water. There will only be destruction. You wanted hell; you will get hell."

His statement is often quoted by rights organizations as proof of Israel's genocidal intent against Palestinians. Since October 7, 2023, an Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed over 45,000 people.

On Monday, HRF said Alian was in Rome on a "secret visit" and asked Italian authorities to arrest him.

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