Europe-based NGO that targets Israeli soldiers abroad for alleged war crimes has filed a fresh criminal complaint in Spain against a former paratrooper, accusing him of direct involvement in “genocide and war crimes” during Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), founded in Brussels in 2024 and named after a Palestinian girl killed during Israel’s Operation Iron Swords, submitted the complaint to Spain’s Central Investigative Court through attorney David Aranda Checa. The group said the soldier, identified only as T.M., a former sergeant in the IDF’s Paratroopers Battalion 101, is currently in Barcelona and urged the court to issue an urgent arrest warrant “to prevent his escape and ensure justice is served.”
It is the second legal move the organization has initiated against the soldier, after filing a similar complaint in Cyprus on July 25 under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The Spanish complaint outlines his alleged role in several incidents in Gaza, citing videos he himself had posted online:
Khan Younis (Feb–Mar 2024): Overseeing a D9 bulldozer flattening homes and streets, firing rockets at residential buildings, blowing up towers, setting homes on fire, and shooting indiscriminately into empty houses. The UN’s UNOSAT institute confirmed that Khan Younis suffered the heaviest destruction in Gaza, with over 6,600 buildings destroyed by March.
Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis (Feb 2024): Supervising the forced evacuation of about 10,000 displaced civilians and 450 patients during an Israeli siege. HRF said footage shows him overseeing evacuations “under sniper fire and bombardment,” which it described as a war crime of forcible transfer.
3 View gallery
The Israeli soldier cited in the complaint posted photos of himself on social media in front of a burning building in Gaza
(Photo: From the Hind Rajab Foundation website)
Deir al-Balah (Apr 2024): Filming bulldozers demolishing a Palestinian home deemed to have no military necessity.
Jabaliya refugee camp (May–Jun 2024): Documenting himself firing heavy weapons and rockets at houses, later posting a photo captioned “Conquering Jabaliya Camp.” He was pictured near a destroyed elementary school. Palestinian authorities estimate 70% of the camp was destroyed.
HRF said the soldier also mocked the destruction by posting sarcastic videos inside a ruined barbershop and a looted electronics store, and likened his actions in Gaza to playing "Call of Duty." He allegedly created a fake “Netflix-style poster” listing the cities he claimed to have helped destroy, including Gaza City, Rimal, Shuja’iyya, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, and Jabaliya.
“War criminals should never feel that Barcelona — or any part of Spain — offers them safe haven," said HRF chairman Dyab Abou Jahjah. "With this complaint we are calling on Spain’s judiciary to uphold its obligations under international law.”
The foundation has launched dozens of such complaints across Europe, gathering open-source material — often from Israeli soldiers’ own social media accounts — in order to push for their prosecution abroad. It has also submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, claiming over 1,000 Israeli soldiers and officers committed war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.
Last month, the group petitioned the ICC to arrest IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Air Force chief Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar, Southern Command head Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor, former and current Unit 8200 commanders, the commander of Palmachim Air Base, the commander of the 161st Squadron and IDF Arabic spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, over the deaths of Al Jazeera journalists in an airstrike near Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.