Hind Rajab Foundation files complaint in Italy against ‘Israeli’ soldier

The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint in Italy against ‘Israeli’ soldier Yonatan Chalich, accusing him of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide linked to the war on Gaza.

Chalich is currently vacationing in Tuscany.

The Brussels-based organization, named after a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in early 2024, announced the filing on September 21.

It states that its investigation links Chalich to three specific incidents during his deployment in Gaza between October 2023 and August 2024, while serving with the Tycoon Company of the Givati Shaked Battalion under the 401st Armored Brigade.

The complaint centers on the siege and destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital in March-April 2024, the burning of the Haj Hamdi Harzallah mosque in late December 2023, and the destruction of Palestine Square in Gaza City in December 2023.

According to the foundation, ‘Israeli’ forces stormed Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood after a two-week siege, occupying the complex and leaving it largely non-functional.

The group cites a World Health Organization assessment of extensive damage, including to emergency and surgical facilities and neonatal incubators, and notes that mass graves containing at least 80 bodies were later found in the hospital courtyards.

It asserts that Chalich personally documented his presence inside the hospital during the operation.

On the mosque, the foundation says photographs from late December 2023 show members of Chalich’s company inside the Haj Hamdi Harzallah mosque in the al-Nasr neighborhood after taking control of it.

Additional images depict soldiers posing and smiling as the building burned.

The group maintains the site was under full ‘Israeli’ military control and not in use by Palestinian groups at the time, arguing the attack could constitute the unlawful targeting of a protected place of worship.

Regarding Palestine Square, the commercial heart of the Rimal neighborhood, the foundation states that ‘Israeli’ forces seized it on December 5, 2023, and systematically destroyed the surrounding civilian district over subsequent weeks using tanks, bulldozers, fire, and controlled demolitions.

It says Chalich’s company was actively involved and that members, including during his deployment, posted images celebrating the destruction.

An ‘Israeli’ flag and Hanukkah display were reportedly erected over the ruins.

HRF has called on Italian authorities to open an immediate investigation, invoking Italy’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, as well as principles of universal jurisdiction.

“Italy, and Tuscany in particular, is a place where solidarity with Palestine runs deep and where the demand for justice has been heard loudly. Its people should not see their land turned into a safe haven for those who destroyed Gaza and committed genocide against its people. There can be no holiday from accountability. If the evidence follows you from Gaza to Tuscany, justice must follow too,” said Dyab Abou Jahjah, the foundation’s general director.

Natacha Bracq, HRF’s head of litigation, added: “HRF has filed several complaints in Italy concerning Israeli war crimes, yet Italian authorities have taken no action, in clear breach of Italy’s legal obligations to investigate under the Geneva and Genocide Conventions. By allowing individuals suspected of war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people to vacation freely on its territory, Italy is failing in its duty to enforce international law and to prevent and punish genocide.”