It is a discreet battle, conducted far from the Gaza Strip, and whose latest episode revives Israel's concerns. Suspected of war crimes committed in the Palestinian enclave, an Israeli reservist had to flee Brazil on Sunday, January 5, where he was on vacation. The consular service of the Israeli Embassy in Brasilia has “accompanied” the soldier, specified the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as if to assure the support of the Jewish state to all those who could be indicted by foreign courts for their role in the war in Gaza.
The intervention followed a decision by the Federal Court of Brazil, which on December 30, 2024, ordered the opening of an investigation against the 21-year-old soldier following a complaint from the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF ), which bears the name of a 6-year-old girl who was allegedly killed by Israeli fire in Gaza in February 2024. Accusing her of having “participated in mass house demolitions during a systematic campaign of destruction”this foundation based in Brussels, which says it aims to “break the cycle of Israeli impunity”as announced on its website, has submitted photos and videos in support of this complaint, supported by families of victims, “showing the suspect personally planting explosives and participating in the destruction of entire neighborhoods”. Maira Pinheiro, the lawyer responsible in Brazil for litigating the case of the organization based in Belgium, had requested the immediate arrest of the soldier, saying that he risked fleeing and destroying the evidence.
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