The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into a man with dual Belgian Israeli nationality that is accused of serving in the Israeli army as a sniper in Gaza. The news that the man is under investigation appears in Wednesday's edition of the daily ‘De Tijd’.
Belgian prosecutors investigate dual national’s role in alleged war crimes committed Gaza
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The Federal Prosecutor's Office opened the case on the basis of an online documentary by a Palestinian journalist that was published last year. In it the Belgian Israeli dual national is described as being a member of an Israeli unit comprising around 20 snipers. The unit that is part of paratroop battalion is alleged to be responsible for the deaths of unarmed Palestinians.
However, the footage in the document does not provide conclusive evidence that the man that is under investigation was directly involved in the alleged acts. Nevertheless, detectives are examining whether his role in the unit could amount to war crimes. Similar legal cases have been launched in France, Italy and South Africa against other members of the same unit.
The man left Belgium in February 2022. He previously resided in the Brussels municipality of Ukkel. His family is active in the real estate sector, both in Belgium and abroad. The man’s dual nationality means that Belgian Prosecutor’s can investigate him for war crimes committed on foreign soil. The federal prosecutor’s office confirmed the case was still ongoing but declined to give any details.