Belgian Federal Prosecutor opens investigation into Israeli sniper for war crimes committed in Gaza

The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal investigation into a dual-national fighting for the IDF in Gaza on suspicion of committing war crimes, according to Belgian media on Friday.

The man was reportedly born and raised in the Brussels suburb of Uccle and is in his early twenties. He serves in the IDF's Multidimensional Unit, also known as the "Refaim" (Ghost) Unit.

The man is accused of shooting unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip, with additional accusations that uninvolved civilians are being deliberately targeted.

An investigation was opened after a complaint was filed by the Association Belgo-Palestinienne (ABP) under section 136 of the Belgian penal code, which criminalizes war crimes.

Belgian law allows Belgian courts to prosecute Belgian citizens for crimes committed abroad.

War crimes accusations

The complaint draws on interviews with a senior American officer who served in the unit, who told Palestinian journalist Younus Tirawi that war crimes were being committed, specifically shooting at unarmed civilians.

The ABP alleges that the American officer "gave an interview to this journalist in which he compared Gaza to Sodom, the city that God destroyed in the Old Testament because of its perdition, and called its inhabitants Amalekites, referring to their leader Amalek."

The unit reportedly consists of 21 people, including eight dual nationals from the US (3), France (2), Germany, Italy, and the Belgian under investigation.

There have been several attempts to bring war crimes prosecutions against IDF soldiers with dual citizenship or while present in a foreign country.