IOF hide soldier identities fearing legal consequences abroad
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Israeli media reported that the Israeli occupation forces are urging soldiers to conceal their identities to avoid legal repercussions abroad amid increasing tracking of Israeli soldiers over the ongoing Gaza genocide.
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Israeli APCs head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern occupied Palestine on October 13, 2023. (AP)
A Ynet report on Friday revealed that an IOF soldier fled Brazil after complaints were lodged against soldiers in Thailand, Chile, and other nations. That said, the Hind Rajab Foundation’s global pursuit of IOF soldiers involved in the Gaza war is now extending into Europe.
The Hind Rajab Foundation announced Thursday that it had filed a complaint in Sweden against an IOF soldier for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza. According to the foundation, the soldier, a Nahal Brigade fighter, is currently in Sweden.
The group wrote, "He may leave the country soon, we demand his immediate arrest."
The foundation included evidence with the complaint, including a photograph of the soldier using his sniper rifle in Gaza on March 1, according to the report.
According to the complaint, eyewitnesses and journalists reported that civilians were killed with such weapons, stressing that the unit he served in participated in the vandalism of Palestinian homes and raids into hospitals, such as the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Israeli soldiers left immediately
On Wednesday night, amid the ongoing efforts by pro-Palestine activists to pursue Israeli soldiers worldwide, the IOF decided to hide the identities of all fighters and officers involved in the genocide.
According to the report, the IOF anticipated that the International Criminal Court's decision in The Hague to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant would escalate arrests and other legal actions globally.
Some soldiers were forced to leave the countries they visited immediately due to concerns about potential legal action against them, and others who had plans to travel abroad were cautioned, fearing they might be arrested or questioned.
This week, at least 620 attorneys in Chile sought the arrest of a discharged Israeli soldier from Battalion 749 for his role in crimes against humanity and genocide during the war on Gaza, local media reported on January 7.
Saar Hirshoren was at the time traveling in the South American country, and, according to the complaint, was involved in the deliberate destruction of "residential neighborhoods, cultural sites, and essential facilities in Gaza, committing inhumane, cruel and degrading acts, causing ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of the population."
The lawsuit was supported by testimony from a Palestinian lady residing in Chile, whose family members had been victims of the Israeli aggression in Gaza.
