The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed another war crimes complaint against a soldier in Barcelona, the organization announced on its website on Saturday.
The Belgium-based group has filed multiple complaints over the last few months, including recent ones against soldiers in Thailand and Sweden, COGAT lead Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian in Rome, and numerous others.
At the beginning of 2025, Brazilian authorities decided to place an arrest warrant for an Israeli soldier on holiday based on the HRF complaint. The soldier subsequently fled to Argentina before returning to Israel via Miami.
The Barcelona complaint has been lodged against Sgt. A of the Givati Brigade, who the HRF accuses of “genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.”
“The actions of Sgt. A and his platoon demonstrate systematic violations of international humanitarian law [by] targeting civilians and protected infrastructure,” the HRF said.
Both the Palestinian Community in Catalonia and the HRF lodged the complaint.
The former posted on its social media that the complaint was launched based on evidence of Sgt. A “targeting a UN school with a grenade launcher, demolishing civilian homes, and indiscriminately firing on civilians in Gaza.”
On its website, HRF cited extensive supposed evidence of Sgt. A’s crimes from January to March 2024.
This includes the following: The alleged use of a civilian home in Gaza for military use on January 15, 2024; the use of a grenade launcher to attack a marked UN school in Gaza City; the controlled demolition of two civilian homes in Khan Younis on February 29, 2024; and indiscriminate shooting at civilian homes while being cheered on by fellow soldiers.
The organization also accused Sgt. A’s platoon of forced displacement of Gazan civilians.
Legal framework
According to the complaint, the above incidents serve as proof of international and Spanish law violations.
Under Article 608 of the Spanish Penal Code, the attack on the school constitutes a war crime.
It is worth noting that Hamas and other Gazan terrorist groups frequently use the UN and other schools for military purposes. In just two months, between August and October 2024, the IDF has carried out almost twenty airstrikes on Hamas command centers inside schools in Gaza.
According to international law, a hospital or school may become a legitimate military target if it is being used by the enemy for military operations.
According to the UN, “Schools used for military purposes by a party to the conflict can be considered targets that may be lawfully attacked by the opposing party to the conflict.”
The HRF complaint also cites Spain’s Articles 607 [crimes of genocide] and 607 [crimes against humanity], which align with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Under Article 23.4 of its Organic Law 6/1985, Spain has the jurisdiction to prosecute a foreign national residing in Spain over genocide and other international crimes.
“The Hind Rajab Foundation urges Spanish authorities to take immediate action by investigating and detaining Sgt. A to ensure accountability for the atrocities committed,” the HRF said.
The soldier’s name has been redacted to protect the soldier’s safety and identity.