Belgium opens war crimes probe into soldier fighting for Israel in Gaza

BRUSSELS

Belgian authorities said on Oct. 18 that they have launched an investigation into possible war crimes committed by a Belgian-Israeli soldier fighting for Israel in Gaza.

The federal prosecutor's office said the probe focuses on a Belgian member of an elite unit of the Israeli military comprising several other dual passport holders.

"We have opened a file on possible war crimes," a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office told AFP.

The suspect, who has not been named, is said to be a man in his 20s from Brussels' upmarket suburb of Uccle.

The investigation, officially opened Wednesday, stems from the work of Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi.

Posting on X this month, Tirawi accused an Israeli sniper unit called "Refaim,” or "Ghosts" in Hebrew, of "brutal executions of unarmed civilians".

Belgium's Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt said the Belgian probe sought to "verify the information published in the press.”

"Israel has the right to self-defense, but that does not exempt it from its obligation to respect international humanitarian law," Van Tigchelt told parliament.