Chile lawyers demand arrest of Israeli soldier over war crimes in Gaza

As many as 620 lawyers in Chile have demanded the arrest of a discharged Israeli soldier from Battalion 749 for his involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide in the Gaza war, local media have reported. Saar Hirshoren is currently travelling in the South American country.

The complaint accused Hirshoren of “deliberately destroying residential neighbourhoods, cultural sites and essential facilities in Gaza, committing inhumane, cruel and degrading acts, causing ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of the population.”

The complaint was supported by the testimony of a Palestinian woman living in Chile, whose family members are victims of the Israeli occupation army’s operations since October 2023.

“We have filed this complaint so that an investigation is carried out and, as a preventive measure, the immediate arrest of this Israeli soldier is carried out so that he can be held accountable for the crimes committed and take responsibility before international criminal justice,” lawyer and former Chilean ambassador Nelson Haddad explained on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference, Haddad said that the arrest must take place “before the imminent escape attempt,” adding “the issue is extremely urgent. We have to assume our responsibility and we cannot accept that after having massacred hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, mostly children and women, they can be allowed to come to Chilean Patagonia for vacation.”

Earlier on Saturday, a Brazilian court issued an urgent order for police to arrest an Israeli soldier and investigate allegations of war crimes committed in Gaza, following a criminal complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation. The soldier was in Brazil on a tourist vacation, and is accused of participating in the systematic destruction of civilian neighbourhoods in Gaza.

This Brazilian move is a major legal development on the path to prosecuting Israeli soldiers accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the besieged enclave that has killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and children, since a cross-border incursion led by Hamas on 7 October, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

READ: Israel warns soldiers of risk of arrest if they travel abroad