Belgium detains, questions 2 Israeli soldiers over ‘war crimes’ allegations by Palestinian activists

Two Israeli soldiers vacationing in Belgium were arrested and questioned over allegations of “war crimes” brought forward by Palestinian activists, before being released, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday.

The incident was first reported and celebrated by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Brussels-based group of anti-Israeli activists, some of whom have deep ties to terror groups.

HRF has been hounding Israeli soldiers and reservists across Europe for months, trying to get them arrested on war crime charges. The group celebrated the arrests at the Tomorrowland music festival as “historical.”

“For the first time in Europe, Israeli suspects linked to crimes in Gaza have been subjected to formal arrest and questioning,” HRF claimed.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed reports that two IDF soldiers were detained and released “shortly afterward,” adding that the ministry and the IDF “handled the matter and are in contact with the two” without specifying whether they remained in Belgium.

In similar incidents in the past, the Foreign Ministry quickly repatriated IDF soldiers at risk of being detained.

HRF had filed legal complaints against the soldiers after they apparently waived flags of the IDF’s Givati Brigade at the Tomorrowland festival.

One of the soldiers later told Channel 12 News that they were beaten by the Belgian police: “The officers hit us, we got blows to the face,” he said. “They took us to a secret police station in the compound.”

🚨 BREAKING 🚨
The #hindrajabfoundation and @GLAN_LAW have filed urgent legal complaints in #Belgium:
Two Israeli war criminals responsible for crimes in #GazaGenocide are attending the @tomorrowland festival. Givati flag waved.
Belgium must Act now!
More ⬇️… pic.twitter.com/C0eMu1zJDC

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) July 19, 2025

In its complaint, the HRF claimed the soldiers were complicit in “some of the most egregious crimes committed during Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza,” including indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, torture, using human shields, arbitrary detention, and others.

Givati has been “extensively documented for its role in the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza and for carrying out mass atrocities against the Palestinian population,” the organization alleged, claiming that the brigade’s flag “is not just a military symbol. It has become, for millions, a symbol of impunity, destruction, and ethnic cleansing.”

The European Jewish Association slammed Belgian authorities for following up on HRF’s complaint: “These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defence of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation.”

Since being launched last September, HRF has been hunting for Israeli soldiers worldwide, lodging dozens of complaints in over 10 countries to get Israeli soldiers arrested.

Last Sunday, Belgium’s King Philippe made some of his most critical comments toward Israel’s war in Gaza so far, saying that “the current situation has gone on far too long” and “is a disgrace to humanity.”

He received praise in a post on 𝕏 by Dyab Abou Jahjah, one of HRF’s leaders, who allegedly is a “former Hezbollah operative.”

Jahjah was further supported by the anti-Israeli UN Special Rapporteur, Franceska Albanese, who was recently sanctioned by the U.S.

Responding to Jahjah, in a post that was reposted by HRF, Albanese urged Belgian authorities not to “let injustice prevail on their soil, as it happened in the past, and as it still happens, over and over, on European soil, with so many member states violating intl law and disgracing EU values.”