MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Israeli soldier vacationing in Brazil flees to Argentina to avoid arrest for Gaza war crimes

The evacuation was said to have been performed on a commercial flight to Argentina

An Israeli national who was vacationing in Brazil had to flee in a rush to Argentina to avoid being prosecuted there for alleged war crimes committed while deployed in Gaza as a member of the Kfir Brigade.

The case was brought before Federal Judge Raquel Soares Charelli in Brasilia on Dec. 30 by the pro-Palestinian Hind Rajab Foundation but Israeli diplomats managed to prevent him from being detained, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The plaintiff organization was named after a five-year-old girl allegedly killed by Israeli forces. In its submission before the Brazilian court, video footage, geolocation data, and photographs were presented as evidence reportedly showing the Israeli soldier participating in the demolition of civilian Palestinian homes. As a result, Israeli officials asked their soldiers not to publish any details about their military actions on social media.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the crimes against humanity allegedly perpetrated by the IDF after the Oct. 7, 2023, mass killing of around 1,200 Israeli civilians and the capture of more than 400 hostages by the pro-Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Although the suspect's identity was not disclosed, The Israel Times said he was a survivor of these events.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered his country's diplomatic mission to oversee the soldier's evacuation, which according to The Associated Press, was performed on a commercial flight to Argentina.

The Brazilian newspaper Metrópoles said Soares Charelli had issued an arrest warrant that was to be executed during the weekend.

Israeli Ambassador Daniel Zohar Zonshine contacted the soldier so as “not to take any chances.”

“The State of Israel is dealing today with an organized campaign by pro-Palestinian organizations that are trying to gather materials that soldiers have posted over the course of the war, and to use them to try to have those soldiers arrested,” the diplomat also told reporters.

Other cases against Israeli military people vacationing abroad have been raised in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland, and Cyprus, leading so far to no arrests.