UK Criminal Complaint Filed Against Israeli Reservist Over Gaza Demolition

The Hind Rajab Foundation filed a criminal complaint in the United Kingdom against Lidor Dafna, an Israeli reservist currently believed to be in the country. The complaint alleges that Dafna participated in war crimes during the conflict in Gaza. The organization is seeking to use the UK legal system to hold the soldier accountable for actions taken in May 2025.

Dafna served in the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion. The complaint centers on the demolition of a flour-producing facility in southern Gaza. At the time of the incident, Israel was enforcing a blockade on the territory, which the foundation says contributed to widespread starvation. The foundation stated that video footage posted by Dafna on social media shows an Israeli military bulldozer destroying wheat silos.

The Brussels-based group named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in January 2024, is testing whether other nations' courts can prosecute Israeli soldiers. Natacha Bracq, the foundation's head of litigation, argued that allowing Dafna to leave the UK would breach state obligations to prevent and punish genocide. She stated, "When a state waves a suspect through its airport, knowing what is documented, it is breaching its obligations to prevent and punish genocide."

The foundation's methodology relies on digital content published by soldiers. Bracq noted that Israeli troops have posted tens of thousands of photos and videos from Gaza and Lebanon on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X, and Telegram. Investigators process this material using the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations. This process involves geolocating every frame against satellite imagery and cross-referencing military sources to link a specific suspect to a documented act.

Khaled al-Shouli, an international lawyer representing Palestinian victims before the International Criminal Court, said social media evidence has value but is not automatically decisive. He emphasized that legal teams must prove the responsibility of a specific person, not just the occurrence of a crime. He explained that a soldier's appearance in a location does not alone prove they committed the act. The foundation has used similar tactics in other countries, leading to the detention of two Israeli soldiers in Belgium and a former combat soldier in Canada.

Hind Rajab's grandmother, who spoke from Gaza, expressed skepticism about internal Israeli investigations. She said, "They just justify their positions to the world, … but actually on the ground, I don't think anything happens." She added that the organization supports anyone speaking in the name of childhood and the Palestinian child. The foundation is also expanding its legal targets to include companies that supply weapons to Israel, citing a recent complaint in Poland against a state-owned TNT producer.

The UK’s Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment but has not responded as of Tuesday. The foundation continues to file complaints across multiple jurisdictions, arguing that universal jurisdiction provides a practical tool for accountability. Bracq stated that the strategy must evolve with the conflict and the available evidence. The group aims to hold suppliers and decision-makers responsible, not just front-line soldiers.