Orel Benyaish, an Israeli soldier from the 432nd Battalion of the Givati Brigade “is accused of committing war crimes and acts of genocide”.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed another criminal complaint against an Israeli soldier, this time in Romania.
Orel Benyaish, an Israeli soldier from the 432nd Battalion of the Givati Brigade “is accused of committing war crimes and acts of genocide during Israel’s ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip,” the Belgium-based rights group said in a statement on Tuesday.
The case was filed before the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
The #HindRajabFoundation filed a criminal complaint in #Romania against Israeli soldier Orel Benyaish of the Givati Brigade.
Together with Yuval Vagdani, already under investigation in Brazil, Benyaish executed deliberate demolitions of civilian property in Gaza.
More info… pic.twitter.com/GnVUWaHPMv
— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) March 31, 2025
The evidence submitted “includes images and videos posted by Benyaish himself, showing his direct involvement in the destruction of residential buildings in the Netzarim corridor—a heavily targeted area where thousands of Palestinian civilians were forcibly displaced.”
Benyaish “appears in uniform, smiling in front of homes rigged with explosives.”
‘Two Acted Together’
A fellow soldier Yuval Vagdani, also of the Givati Brigade, appeared in the photos as well, photographed in the moment explosives were being placed for a controlled demolition, the statement said.
“The two acted together, knowingly and deliberately, in destroying civilian homes without any military justification,” it stated.
GAZA: THE DOCUMETARY
Al Jazeera’s FULL documentary that EXPOSES all of Israel’s WAR CRIMES!
(Full credit @AJIunit) https://t.co/bsxiSGdsW4 pic.twitter.com/TT1ACrwZL9
— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) October 3, 2024
The case is the latest criminal complaint filed elsewhere, including Sweden, Germany, and Nepal.
“This is not a matter of battlefield tragedy. It is the calculated and boastful destruction of civilian life, carried out with impunity and celebrated in social media posts,” the statement said.
‘Expression of Genocidal Intent’
“The detonation, which reduced entire homes to rubble, is not only a war crime under international humanitarian law—it is an expression of genocidal intent. These actions were not part of legitimate combat,” it added, “designed to humiliate, terrorize, and annihilate a people, in flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, and the most fundamental norms of human dignity.”
In Brazil last December, a judge issued a probe order against another soldier, Yuval Vagdani, “for his role in this same crime.”
The Romanian complaint “is therefore not isolated, but part of a broader international legal effort to end the impunity of soldiers who participate in the collective punishment and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population,” the organization emphasized.
‘Structural Impunity’
Romania, as a party to the Rome Statute and the Geneva Conventions, the statement continued, “bears not only the legal competence but the moral obligation to act. When war criminals walk freely on foreign soil, justice demands intervention.”
“The international community has long borne witness to the structural impunity enjoyed by Israeli military personnel,” said the foundation.
Lt. Nechmya fled #Argentina, after HRF had filed a case against him for war crimes in Gaza.
More info— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) March 24, 2025
“This impunity has emboldened perpetrators to commit unspeakable crimes—openly, proudly, and without fear of consequence. It is time for this cycle to end,” it added.
The foundation called upon Romanian authorities to take urgent action to launch a full criminal investigation, prevent the suspect from leaving the country, secure all relevant digital and physical evidence, and cooperate with other jurisdictions pursuing related cases.
“Anything less would be a betrayal of the legal and ethical commitments that bind all nations in the defense of humanity,” it stressed.
German Case
The latest complaint follows a case filed in Germany a few days ago against a soldier, with dual German-Israeli citizenship, who served as a tank commander in the Israeli army.
Barel Kriel “served in the 188th Armored Brigade (Barak Brigade) of the IDF, a unit that has been heavily involved in operations in the Gaza Strip,” HRF said in a statement on Saturday.”
It said that verified videos and images—many recorded and shared by Kriel himself—show “the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, indiscriminate shelling of residential neighborhoods, and the glorification of destruction in urban areas, all of which may constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.”
In one video, a civilian vehicle is seen burning in a schoolyard-like setting, targeted by a Merkava tank’s gunnery system, the statement said, adding that “No military threats or combatants are present.” Other footage captures Kriel’s unit shelling residential buildings in civilian zones.
These were “actions that clearly violate the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law,” HRF emphasized.
HRF, however, noted that “Despite the visual and testimonial evidence submitted, the German Prosecution has so far refused to open an investigation—failing to apply both German national law and its obligations under international law.”
Nepalese Case
Last Monday, the organization announced that it had officially filed a formal request with the Nepalese authorities to immediately arrest and extradite an Israeli soldier for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in Gaza.
Lieutenant Amit Nechmya, a platoon commander in the Latak Platoon of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion (435), was “currently vacationing in Nepal in an apparent attempt to evade justice,” HRF said in a statement.
In January, HRF filed a case in Buenos Aires where Nechmya was vacationing, charging him with multiple grave violations under international law.
In October last year, HRF filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza.
Ongoing Genocide
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
Civil defense teams and residents rescue a family after the occupation bombs their home in Khan Yunis. pic.twitter.com/nRCNweuURQ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 31, 2025
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Be the first to comment