Said Amori
06 January 2025•Update: 06 January 2025
JERUSALEM
The Israeli army has warned its personnel traveling abroad that they risk arrest after one of its soldiers fled Brazil while being investigated for possible war crimes in Gaza, local media reported Sunday.
It came in response to human rights organizations tracking soldiers and filing legal cases against them for taking part in the ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper
The report said the army's warning was particularly directed at reservists, as active-duty personnel cannot travel abroad without prior approval.
It also noted that Israel is in contact with countries where complaints have been filed against its soldiers, attempting to prevent investigations that could lead to arrests.
Israeli media reported earlier that a soldier accused of committing war crimes in Gaza had fled Brazil, where authorities were pressing for an investigation into his actions.
The move stems from a complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based organization advocating for justice for Palestinian victims, said the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN).
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the complaint includes over 500 pages of evidence such as videos, geolocation data and open-source intelligence linking the soldier to the destruction in Gaza.
Despite a court order, the soldier, a reservist who was in Brazil as a tourist, managed to leave the country and is reportedly en route to Israel, KAN said. Details of how he evaded arrest remain unclear.
In a statement, HRF condemned the soldier’s escape, accusing Israel of orchestrating his departure to obstruct justice.
The organization said earlier that it had “verified information that Israel is imminently attempting to smuggle suspected Israeli war criminal Yuval Vagdani out of Brazil because of a Brazilian court order for police to take investigative measures against him.”
His escape follows similar incidents involving Israeli soldiers abroad.
Last month, a Palestinian advocacy group in Sri Lanka called for the arrest of an active-duty Israeli soldier spotted in the country, prompting his immediate evacuation by Israeli authorities, according to Channel 12.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on the enclave.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
