Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 12 Israelis have been the subject of legal action abroad in connection with the country’s ongoing war on Hamas in Gaza, according to Hebrew media reports.
The information came to light following the initiation last month of a federal probe against an Israeli tourist in Brazil for alleged war crimes. In response to the development, a Cabinet subcommittee headed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday held a classified discussion on how to respond to such situations, which have occurred in 12 cases in several countries in Europe and Asia, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported.
In addition to Brazil, other countries named were the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Cyprus, Serbia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. The report did not say whether some of the cases include proceedings connected to the arrest warrants issued in November by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
One official told Channel 12 anonymously: “There have been few cases so far but there’s a clear trend: We’re on a new front whose potential scope is still unknown.”
The Israeli reservist in Brazil, identified by Channel 12 only as Y., 21, traveled to Brazil as a tourist for the Chanukah holiday period together with three friends. He and his friends all left the country after receiving a warning from Israeli foreign ministry employees, according to the report.
The man, who recently completed his mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati Brigade, survived the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists murdered more than 300 people on Oct. 7, 2023, including his girlfriend, according to Channel 12.
The allegations against him concern his actions as a soldier in a residential area of Gaza in November 2024.
