Israeli soldier flees Brazil amid investigation into Gaza war crimes: Report
Soldier escapes after Brazilian court ordered investigation over war crimes in Gaza
-JERUSALEM, Occupied Palestinian Territories
An Israeli soldier charged with committing serious war crimes during the ongoing war on Gaza has fled Brazil, where authorities had been pressing for an investigation, according to the local media.
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based group advocating for justice for Palestinian victims.
According to Israeli Channel 12, the complaint includes over 500 pages of evidence, including videos, geolocation data, and open-source intelligence, linking the soldier to widespread destruction and bloodshed 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 back to Israel, KAN said. Details of how he evaded arrest remain unclear.
In a statement, HRF condemned the soldier’s escape, highlighting Israel’s orchestration of his illegal departure to obstruct justice.
The organization said it has “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.”
“There are also indications that evidence is being destroyed,” it stressed. “This is not only a scandal but an affront to Brazil’s sovereignty and rule of law. Israel has employed similar tactics before.”
The rights organization called on Brazilian authorities “to fulfill their responsibilities, protect their judicial process, and ensure justice prevails.”
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said legal actions against Israelis suspected of crimes in Gaza “are necessary and overdue.”
“Apartheid Israel will go to great lengths to shield its soldiers since a conviction abroad for crimes against Palestinians is a precedent it cannot afford,” she said in a statement, emphasizing that “justice is unstoppable.”
Political failure
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for covering war criminals, describing the situation as a political failure.
“How have we reached a point where Palestinians outmaneuver the Israeli government on the international stage?” he wrote on X.
The escape follows a series of 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 on vacation, prompting his immediate evacuation by Israeli authorities.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,700 victims, mostly women and children, since October 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 Gaza.
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