Israel warns troops off social media after Brazil seeks soldier over Gaza

Unlock Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Israel has warned its soldiers against posting on social media about their actions in Gaza, after a Brazilian court ordered police to investigate an Israeli soldier in the country accused of taking part in war crimes.

The move, initiated by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a pro-Palestinian group, was based on video footage and photographs that HRF claimed showed soldiers participating in house demolitions in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that Brazilian embassy officials helped the man leave the country without immediately detaining him.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs draws the attention of Israelis to posts on social media about their military service and to the fact that anti-Israel elements may exploit these posts to initiate futile legal proceedings against them,” the ministry added.

Brussels-based HRF hailed as “groundbreaking” the decision by Brazil’s federal court to accept jurisdiction over the matter and order urgent police action.

“This is a historic moment,” said Dab Abu Jahzah, HRF chair. “It sets a strong precedent for countries to take bold steps to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.”

The incident is the latest example of the legal fallout from Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has so far killed more than 45,800 people, reduced much of the territory to uninhabitable rubble and caused a humanitarian disaster, according to Palestinian officials.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “Colossal Political Failure” On the episode, arguing that forming a state commission of inquiry into the war – which Netanyahu has resisted – would help stop such legal action.

“How did we get to the point where the Palestinians are better off than the Israeli government in the international arena?” He wrote in X.

Israel launched an attack on Gaza in 2023 in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas, during which the militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The UN’s top court is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Israel strongly rejects the genocide charge and calls South Africa’s case “deeply flawed”. Israel says its forces in Gaza are acting in accordance with international law and Netanyahu’s office has dismissed the arrest warrant as “anti-Semitic”.

Abu Jahzah said the HRF had submitted evidence against nearly 1,000 Israeli soldiers to the ICC to help strengthen its case against Israeli leaders.

The group has also compiled a list of soldiers suspected of involvement in war crimes and is monitoring their movements through their social media posts, he said.

“We knew he was in Brazil and just three days later we filed a 400-page dossier against him,” Abu Jahzah said. “We do not target all Israeli soldiers, only those suspected of war crimes.”

He added that they were gathering evidence on alleged violations of international law including “entering homes and looting and destroying property and destroying entire neighborhoods, including hospitals, civilian infrastructure and places of worship”.

“Also killing people, kidnapping people, torturing people and posing with prisoners,” he said.

HRF has filed war crimes charges against dozens of Israeli soldiers who are dual nationals of countries including Belgium, France and Holland, with the aim of starting trials there.

Abu Jahzah said some of these cases are still in the preliminary investigation stage, while others have been rejected by the national judiciary and are being appealed by the HRF. “We are optimistic about the cases in Belgium,” he said.