Belgium refers Israeli war crimes allegations to ICC

Department of Research, Studies and International News31-07-2025

In a move highlighting the growing global backlash against Israeli military aggression in Gaza, Belgian prosecutors have referred a war crimes complaint against two Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The decision follows accusations that the soldiers, believed to be members of the notorious Givati Brigade, were involved in war crimes during the ongoing Zionist assault on the besieged Palestinian territory.

The complaint was filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Belgium-based human rights organisation named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl tragically killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. The foundation partnered with the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) to bring the case forward, asserting that Belgium has legal obligations under international law to pursue accountability for crimes against humanity.

According to Belgium’s Belga news agency, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the referral, stating, “The International Criminal Court is currently investigating possible serious violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian territories.”

From Tomorrowland to The Hague

The case revolves around the two Israeli soldiers who were spotted at the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium, displaying their military unit’s flag while celebrating to a DJ set, an act widely perceived as a tone-deaf show of triumphalism amid the genocide unfolding in Gaza. Belgian police briefly arrested the soldiers for questioning, but they were later released, a decision that has sparked outrage among rights groups and pro-justice advocates.

The Hind Rajab Foundation expressed cautious approval of the ICC referral but sharply criticised the Belgian authorities for what it described as a failure to enforce justice. “These individuals should not have simply been arrested and released,” the foundation said in a statement. “They should have been detained and prosecuted in Belgium, or at the very least, extradited to the ICC.”

The organisation warned that allowing suspects of war crimes to walk free only perpetuates a climate of impunity, making it more likely that further atrocities will be committed. “Releasing individuals credibly accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity not only undermines public trust in justice,” it added, “but also emboldens future perpetrators.”

Seeking accountability beyond borders

Since its inception in 2023, the Hind Rajab Foundation has filed numerous complaints across over ten countries, aiming to hold Israeli military personnel accountable for systemic violence against the Palestinian people. This case, they argue, marks a significant “strategic pivot to the international level,” reinforcing the message that no Israeli soldier implicated in war crimes can evade justice by hiding behind their nationality or travelling abroad.

The group urged the ICC to act without delay. “Every day that passes without action from international legal institutions is another day of suffering for the Palestinian people,” the foundation stated. “This case is a legal and moral milestone. Israeli military officials must understand that wherever they go, justice will follow.”

Zionist regime responds with diplomatic pressure

Unsurprisingly, Tel Aviv responded to the developments with indignation. The Israeli regime summoned a Belgian diplomat for a formal reprimand, revealing the growing unease within Israeli political circles as international legal scrutiny intensifies.

The incident deepens a widening diplomatic rift between Brussels and Tel Aviv, already strained by Belgium’s increasingly vocal condemnation of Israeli war crimes and support for humanitarian relief in Gaza. Just this week, Belgium announced the deployment of a military aircraft carrying aid supplies to Jordan, destined for Gaza. Moreover, the country joined 27 others in signing a joint declaration calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Despite these steps, Belgium itself faces domestic legal pressure. Earlier this month, the Belgian state was summoned before the French-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels, with plaintiffs arguing that the government has failed to meet its international legal obligations by not taking decisive action against the Zionist regime’s crimes.

The complaint demands urgent measures, including banning arms shipments to Israel via Belgian territory, ending trade with illegal Israeli settlements, freezing the assets of Israeli leaders, suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and cutting all institutional cooperation with the occupying regime.

A turning point for International justice?

As Western complicity with Israeli brutality comes under growing international scrutiny, the Belgian move to involve the ICC could set a precedent for other European countries. For far too long, the United States and its allies have shielded Israeli crimes from accountability, enabling a cycle of violence and injustice in occupied Palestine.

This referral sends a strong message: the tide is turning. Global civil society, backed by determined legal advocacy, is demanding justice. And while the United States continues to blindly support Israel’s military machine, countries like Belgium are beginning to face the moral and legal contradictions of that alliance.

The question now is whether the ICC will have the courage to act, or whether it too will fall prey to the geopolitical pressures that have long protected the architects of occupation and oppression.