The pro-Palestinian Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a criminal complaint with Vietnamese authorities against an Israeli reservist who was vacationing in the country, accusing him of involvement in the destruction of civilian property during the war in Gaza, Walla learned on Monday.
The Belgium-based organization, which has pursued IDF soldiers traveling abroad after serving in Gaza and Lebanon, filed the complaint against H.G., a young Israeli, over what it described as his "involvement in the destruction of civilian targets during the genocide."
According to the foundation's statement, H.G., who was in Vietnam when the complaint was filed, is an Israeli reservist who served as a D9 bulldozer operator in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade during the IDF's ground operation in Gaza.
As in previous cases, the organization claimed that the reservist incriminated himself by documenting on social media the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip while operating a military bulldozer. According to the organization, he posted videos and photographs showing the destruction, demolition, and burning of buildings in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
As of Monday, there was no indication that Vietnamese authorities had taken any action in response to the complaint.
IDF soldier said they 'flatten everything' if nothing suspicious found in Gaza sites
HRF pointed to a post it said was published on November 19, 2023, showing extensive destruction in Gaza. According to the organization's translation, the soldier described his unit's activities as follows: "We look for suspicious things, tunnels, military equipment, suitcases. When we find something, we call the senior commanders, and when there is nothing there, we complete the demolition and flatten everything."
The foundation claimed that H.G. was involved in two incidents. The first was the demolition of the Abbas police station in Gaza City's southern Rimal neighborhood between November 14 and 21, 2023. The second was the demolition of Palestine Square in Shejaia on December 18, 2023.
The organization alleged that the incidents involved the destruction of civilian property that was not justified by military necessity and attributed violations of international law to the reservist.
"This is another link in our systematic pursuit of accountability, wherever the perpetrators are," said the foundation's director-general, Lebanese-Belgian Dyab Abou Jahjah, who is identified with Hezbollah.
"We have already filed a complaint in Vietnam, and we continue to identify soldiers who regularly return there for vacation."
IDF order forbids photos taken from operation areas
A special IDF General Staff order titled "Soldiers' Use of the Online Space" is intended specifically to prevent complaints of this kind against soldiers.
The IDF emphasizes: "Do not photograph or publish pictures in uniform or from operational areas; avoid documentation that could be interpreted as harming the civilian population, and consider the international consequences of every post or photograph."
Despite the directives and what the article describes as a lack of significant enforcement within the IDF, HRF has used information uploaded online to file dozens of complaints in approximately 25 countries since the organization was founded roughly two years ago.
Those countries include Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, the UK, Cyprus, Greece, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, the US, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, India, and Vietnam.
A complaint was also filed in Slovenia against Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. This represents the documented minimum, while the organization says it has also made approaches in additional countries.
Various proceedings were opened in Peru, Brazil, Romania, and Chile, but none resulted in punishment or sanctions.