Belgium Refers 2 Israeli Soldiers to ICC over War Crimes in Gaza
Belgium's federal prosecutor has referred the cases of two Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC) following complaints accusing them of committing war crimes in Gaza.
According to an official statement, the complaints were filed by the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation against the two soldiers, who had arrived in Boom, Belgium, to attend the Tomorrowland music festival on 18 and 19 July.
After reviewing the case, the prosecutor's office confirmed it has forwarded the files to the ICC. The decision was made in line with Belgium's international legal obligations and in the interest of ensuring justice is properly served.
On 21 July, the Hind Rajab Foundation
announced
that the Belgian police had detained the soldiers and questioned them in connection with the allegations of war crimes.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the temporary detention and questioning of two of its citizens in Belgium, without disclosing the reasons behind the legal action.
The incident comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israel's military actions in Gaza. Since 7 October 2023, Israel has conducted an extensive military campaign in the enclave, resulting in widespread devastation.
Human rights organizations and international observers have described the offensive as a campaign of collective punishment involving killing, starvation, forced displacement, and infrastructure destruction, in defiance of repeated calls from the global community and warnings from the International Court of Justice.
The conflict has resulted in over 206,000 Palestinians killed or injured, most of them women and children.
More than 9,000 people remain missing, and hundreds of thousands have been forcibly displaced. The crisis has also triggered severe famine conditions, with countless lives lost due to lack of food, medicine, and humanitarian access.
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