Peru opens investigation into former IDF soldier after Hind Rajab Foundation files complaint
The allegations include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in the Gaza Strip during IDF service.
Peru’s Attorney General’s Office has launched a preliminary criminal investigation against a former IDF soldier from Battalion 424 “Shaked” of the Givati Brigade, according to the Hind Rajab Foundation. According to a statement from the Belgian-Palestinian organization that tracks Israelis traveling abroad, the First Supraprovincial Criminal Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights and Counterterrorism ordered the opening of a 15-day preliminary investigation on April 28, 2026.
The allegations include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in the Gaza Strip during IDF service.
The organization claims the young man is currently in Peru, which would allow local authorities to exercise jurisdiction. The complaint was submitted through Peruvian attorney Julio César Arbizu González, who has previously acted on behalf of the organization.
According to the organization, there has been no official statement from Peruvian authorities confirming the matter.
Soldiers’ Use of Cyberspace
A special IDF directive titled “Soldiers’ Use of Cyberspace” was designed specifically to prevent complaints of this kind against soldiers. “Do not photograph or publish images in uniform or from operational areas, avoid documentation that could be interpreted as harm to a civilian population, and consider the international implications of every post or image,” the IDF emphasized.
(ILLUSTRATIVE) Israeli soldiers walk by the entrance to the European Hospital in Khan Younis at the Gaza Strip, where they found a tunnel underneath it, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas, June 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/RONEN ZVULUN/FILE PHOTO)
However, despite the guidelines and amid a lack of meaningful IDF enforcement regarding information soldiers share online, the HRF foundation, established about two years ago, has already filed around 80 complaints in approximately 29 countries. Most have been completely ignored. In Peru, Chile, Belgium, Romania, Portugal, and Greece, various proceedings have been opened against soldiers following these complaints, although in practice, only Peru has shown a relatively clear indication of progress beyond the receipt of a complaint.
