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Akbar Novruz

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The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a war crimes complaint in India against an Israeli soldier accused of participating in the deliberate destruction of civilian property in the Gaza Strip.

The complaint, filed on Tuesday, marks the second case brought by the organisation against an Israeli soldier visiting India.

In June, HRF filed a similar complaint against Eitan Gilboa, a soldier serving with Israel’s 271st Combat Engineering Battalion. According to the organisation, Gilboa had posted images showing his battalion demolishing neighbourhoods in Gaza, as well as video footage of himself celebrating the destruction.

The Indian authorities reportedly took no action in that case, and Gilboa subsequently left the country.

HRF said its latest complaint concerns an Israeli soldier whose identity has not been publicly disclosed. The organisation alleges that the soldier was directly involved in the unlawful destruction of civilian property in Abasan al-Saghira, in Gaza’s Khan Younis Governorate, between March and April 2024.

According to HRF, the alleged conduct could constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.

The organisation said it reconstructed the events using satellite imagery, social media footage and other open-source intelligence, documenting what it described as the soldier’s involvement in the demolition of civilian structures.

A lawyer who filed the complaint on behalf of HRF in India told Middle East Eye that New Delhi has obligations under the Geneva Conventions and international law to investigate credible allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law.

“India cannot become a ‘second home’ where Israeli soldiers accused of grave international crimes travel with impunity,” the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The lawyer added that where there are credible allegations of grave breaches of international humanitarian law, India is required to take action.

The latest complaint comes amid continuing international scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

HRF says the destruction documented in Gaza demonstrates the scale of damage to civilian infrastructure and property across the territory, and argues that individuals allegedly responsible for such acts should be subject to investigation regardless of where they travel.

The organisation's previous complaint against Gilboa did not result in legal action before he left India. HRF is now calling on Indian authorities to investigate the latest allegations and determine whether the accused soldier can be held criminally liable under Indian and international law.