Israel helps former soldier leave Brazil over investigation into alleged
war crimes in Gaza
Send a link to a friend
[January 06, 2025]
By SAM MEDNICK and WAFAA SHURAFA
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has helped a former soldier leave Brazil after
legal action was initiated against him by a group accusing Israelis of
war crimes in the Gaza Strip based in part on soldiers' social media
posts.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday said it had helped the former
soldier safely leave Brazil on a commercial flight after what it
described as “anti-Israel elements” sought an investigation last week.
It warned Israelis against posting on social media about their military
service.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, named for a 5-year-old Palestinian girl
killed in Gaza, said Brazilian authorities had launched an investigation
into the soldier after it filed a complaint based on video footage,
geolocation data and photographs showing him taking part in the
demolition of civilian homes.
The foundation described the move as a “pivotal step toward
accountability for crimes committed in Gaza" during nearly 15 months of
war.
There was no immediate comment from Brazilian authorities. Brazilian
media reported Saturday that the investigation was ordered by an on-call
federal judge in Brazil’s Federal District. The decision was issued on
Dec. 30 but first reported over the weekend.
Israel has faced heavy international criticism over its war against
Hamas in Gaza, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest
warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense
minister. The International Court of Justice is separately investigating
genocide allegations.
The Brazil case raised the prospect that rank-and-file Israeli troops
could also face prosecution while abroad.
Israel rejects the international allegations, saying its forces in Gaza
are acting in accordance with international law and that any violations
are punished within its judicial systems. It blames Hamas for civilian
deaths, saying the militant group conceals tunnels and other
infrastructure in residential buildings, necessitating their demolition.
Throughout the war, Israeli soldiers have posted numerous videos from
Gaza that appear to show them rummaging through homes and blowing up or
burning residential buildings. In some, they chant racist slogans or
boast about destroying the Palestinian territory.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on
Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting
around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third
believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza,
according to local health officials. They say women and children make up
over half the dead but do not distinguish between civilians and
militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without
providing evidence.
Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed five people in the Nuseirat refugee
camp in central Gaza, four in the southern city of Khan Younis and three
in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to health workers.
Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 88 people had been killed in the
past 24 hours.
[to top of second column]
|
Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment
of the Gaza Strip, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah,
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israel's military in a statement said it struck a Hamas command
center in Khan Younis and an Islamic Jihad militant in Deir al-Balah.
The war has caused widespread destruction in Gaza and displaced
around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people, with many forced
to flee multiple times.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian security member
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli forces killed a member of
the Palestinian security services, calling him a wanted militant.
Israel's paramilitary Border Police said Sunday they carried out an
operation in Meithaloun village overnight to arrest Hassan Rabaiya.
They said he was killed in a shootout while trying to escape.
Israeli authorities released helmet-cam footage that showed police
blowing up what they called an explosives lab in his home.
The Palestinian security services identified Rabaiya as a first
lieutenant in its Preventive Security force, saying he was killed
while “performing his national duty.”
Meithaloun is near the West Bank city of Jenin, an epicenter of
Israeli-Palestinian violence. The Palestinian Authority has been
waging a rare crackdown on militants in Jenin, angering many
Palestinians.
Separately on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West
Bank said a 17-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire in the
urban Askar refugee camp in Nablus. The military said individuals
hurled explosives at soldiers operating in the area, who then opened
fire and hit one of them.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority exercises
limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank and cooperates with
Israel on security matters. But Israel has long accused it of
inciting violence and turning a blind eye to militants, while
Palestinian critics view it as a corrupt and ineffective body that
aids the occupation.
The West Bank has seen a surge of violence during the war in Gaza.
Israel captured both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as east
Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all
three territories for their future state.
___
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press
writer Mauricio Savarese in Rio de Janeiro contributed.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved |