Posted on 07/21/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Belgian authorities have arrested two Israeli citizens attending the Tomorrowland music festival in the country and interrogated them on suspicion of war crimes in Gaza.
The arrest followed a report submitted by the Hind Rijab Foundation, which works to prosecute IDF soldiers around the world. The report stated that the two "are involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even crimes of genocide committed during the fighting in Gaza."
The two were identified and arrested by the Belgian federal police during the festival. After a short interrogation, the two were released.
During the festival, the Israeli pair waved the flag of the IDF's Givati Brigade, leading the organization to submit its report. The two have apparently left Belgium and are on their way back to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated: “An Israeli citizen and an IDF soldier who were in Belgium on vacation were detained yesterday for questioning and released shortly afterward. The Foreign Ministry and the IDF handled the matter and are in contact with the two individuals.”
The foundation congratulated the move in a statement: "We do not claim that justice has been served — not yet. But we believe something important has begun. For the first time in Europe, Israeli suspects linked to crimes in Gaza have been subjected to formal arrest and questioning. This would not have been possible without the strength of the law and the will to apply it. To the victims and survivors in Gaza: we see you, we hear you, and we carry your demands for justice forward. To those who believed impunity was permanent: this moment shows that it is not. And to states watching around the world: universal jurisdiction is not just a principle — it is an obligation."
The foundation was established in September 2024 in Brussels as a non-profit organization and serves as a branch of the March 30 Movement, which has been active for over three decades in the field of legal persecution of IDF soldiers. The organization is led by two activists of Lebanese origin, Diab Abu Jahjah and Karim Hassan.
The fund collects publicly available information online about IDF soldiers, including details about military operations they participated in, with the goal of prosecuting these soldiers in foreign countries. So far, the fund has filed lawsuits against dozens of soldiers.
In addition, the organization has submitted information to the International Criminal Court regarding "war crimes" supposedly committed by over a thousand soldiers and officers during their operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The organization also publishes information about IDF soldiers staying abroad in an attempt to compromise their safety.