French NGOs file complaint against 2 French-Israeli soldiers over alleged crimes in Gaza
Soldiers accused of participating in execution of unarmed civilians in Gaza City, Khan Younis between November 2023 and March 2024
Six non-governmental organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights and the Human Rights League, filed a criminal complaint in a Paris court on Tuesday against two French-Israeli soldiers accused of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The complaint, submitted with civil party status to the crimes against humanity unit of the Paris judicial court, targets two members of the Israeli military’s elite Ghost Unit.
The soldiers are accused of being involved in the execution of unarmed civilians in Gaza City and Khan Younis between November 2023 and March 2024.
The NGOs said the case is based on investigative reporting by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, who reported on the unit’s operations and its use of precision targeting.
The complaint relies on the French nationality of the soldiers to invoke France’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
“The mechanism is essential when justice cannot be rendered in the country concerned,” the International Federation for Human Rights said in a statement, highlighting the absence of criminal investigations in Israel and other European states.
The complaint comes amid growing international legal efforts to hold individuals accountable for crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.
In October 2024, Belgium’s Belgo-Palestinian Association filed a similar case against a Belgian-Israeli soldier from the same unit. Human rights organizations said additional complaints are being prepared in Germany and Italy.
The NGOs argue that these acts form part of a wider policy that could constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.
At the core of the complaint are allegations of summary executions and the humiliation of civilians, with some incidents reportedly documented in videos shared online.
According to the International Federation for Human Rights, around 4,000 French nationals are currently serving in the Israeli military.
The organizations say the legal action seeks to establish France’s competence to prosecute international crimes committed abroad and to prompt broader accountability for dual nationals involved in armed operations.
By filing as civil parties, the NGOs aim to trigger a formal investigation and encourage similar legal actions in other countries with universal jurisdiction laws.
They also question the effectiveness of international institutions, including the International Criminal Court, in addressing large-scale atrocities.
