Rights groups file war crimes complaint against French-Israeli soldier who served in Gaza
The Franco-Israeli soldier is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture amidst Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Several rights groups have filed a civil party complaint with the War Crimes Unit of the Paris Tribunal against a Franco-Israeli soldier who served in the army amidst Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the besieged enclave. The rights groups accuse Yoel O. of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture and complicity in crimes committed against Palestinians held in Israeli custody. The complaint was issued by the International Federation for Human Rights as well as Al Haq, Al Mezan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the Ligue des droits de l’Homme and is based on a video footage posted on social media platforms.
The rights groups state that in one video, Palestinian detainees are dressed in white overalls with their hands tied behind their back and are blindfolded. At least one of the detainees shows signs of torture, they said, while the detainees are being verbally abused in French. The complaint states that Yoel O. is the author of the video, which was shared with the French judicial authorities along with testimonies from Palestinian victims who describe facing severe torture while held in Israeli custody.