HRF seeks arrest of Israeli soldier vacationing in India
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- Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brussels-based Palestinian rights organisation, filed the complaint on June 2, 2026 with India's Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bureau of Immigration and police to arrest Eitan Gilboa, an Israeli soldier.
- Gilboa, a member of the 271st Combat Engineering Battalion, was identified vacationing in Himachal Pradesh, India.
- The complaint accuses Gilboa of committing "war crimes in Gaza" in 2024, including participation in the destruction of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Khan Yunis and Rafah.
- Evidence submitted by the HRF includes geo-located videos, social media footage of Gilboa celebrating the demolitions, and chain-of-command documentation linking him to specific operations.
- Gilboa's mother had posted the videos of him celebrating the destruction on social media, according to the complaint — the HRF used those public posts to help identify and track him.
Why it matters: The complaint tests whether India will act on a foreign rights group's request to arrest a foreign national on its soil for alleged conduct in Gaza. The evidence chain is unusually self-documented: the incriminating videos were originally posted to social media by the soldier's own mother.
