Israel says no foreign courts have issued arrest warrants against the reservists

Israel said on Tuesday that lobbyists were pressuring foreign courts to take action against Israelis over alleged war crimes in Gaza, but described the actions as “propaganda activity.” She added that no court orders had been issued.

International Criminal Court Arrest warrants were issued In November to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, as well as to Mohamed Diab Ibrahim al-Masry, also known as Mohamed Deif, for his alleged role in planning the October 7 attack. 2023 attack on Israel.

The arrest warrants sparked outrage in Israel, but also raised concerns that similar arrest warrants could be issued for Israelis who served in the army in Gaza.

On Sunday, an Israeli reservist on vacation 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 with the army in Gaza.

The Hind Rajab Foundation, the pro-Palestinian group that filed the lawsuit, says on its website that it “focuses on offensive legal action against perpetrators of war crimes and accomplices and instigators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.” She said she filed a complaint based on video footage, geolocation data, and photographs that she said showed the reservist participating in the demolition of civilian homes.

The group, based in Belgium, is named after a six-year-old boy Palestinian girl Who was killed in Gaza last year, Israel said it had submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court of alleged war crimes against 1,000 Israelis, including video and audio reports, forensic reports and other documents. The ICC confirmed it had received a file and said it would “analyze the material provided, as appropriate.”

The issue is not widely publicized: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Israeli Foreign Ministry offered assistance to the reservist who was covered by the measure, but officials said the issue was not widespread.

“This is a phenomenon of a very limited scope in terms of numbers,” Foreign Ministry Director-General Eden Bar-Tal told reporters in Jerusalem, adding that there had been no more than 10 to 12 cases since the beginning of the Israeli campaign in Gaza 15 months ago.

“There was no injunction issued in any of these cases. So, I would say it was relatively strong public relations activity but with very low, very, very low injunctive outcomes — zero.”

He added: “We believe it is a significant propaganda activity in general and is sponsored by entities, a very small number of entities, that have direct links to terrorist organizations.”

The founder of the Hind Rajab Foundation, Diab Abu Jahjah, posted messages on the social media platform X in which he vowed to file a lawsuit against Israeli soldiers and asked for help in identifying them.

The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Complaints against IDF soldiers abroad

The case in Brazil has attracted widespread attention in Israel, underscoring concerns that individuals outside the government and military command could be drawn into the war crimes case, especially through social media posts.

The Israeli military has warned reservists that they could face arrest abroad for alleged war crimes in Gaza, according to documents published by Israeli media. Haaretz newspaper said that complaints against IDF soldiers were filed in South Africa, Belgium and France, in addition to Brazil.

However, Rubens Pecak, a law professor at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said it is not always easy for third countries to respond to claims of this kind.

“Without specific legislation, it becomes very difficult for institutions such as the Brazilian Federal Police to act in such cases,” he added.