Hind Rajab Foundation files UK war crimes complaint against Israeli reservist Lidor Dafna

Mixed · 2The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint with UK authorities against Israeli soldier Lidor Dafna, alleging war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip. 1 2 Centre · 1The foundation said Dafna is a reservist who served as a D9 armored bulldozer operator in the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade, and that he took part in operations in Gaza and Lebanon from November 2023; it said it has reason to believe he is currently in the UK. 1 Mixed · 2The complaint centres on the destruction on 25 May 2025 of Great Ocean Mills, a flour-producing facility in the Morag Corridor between Khan Younis and Rafah; the foundation says footage Dafna posted on social media shows a bulldozer demolishing its wheat silos. 1 2

Centre · 1The foundation said Israeli forces then turned the building into a military base and reportedly used it to shoot Palestinians seeking aid at a nearby Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site, and that the 603rd Battalion carried out more than 60 controlled demolitions while establishing the Morag Corridor. 1 Centre · 1It says Dafna may be criminally responsible for extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity, intentionally targeting civilian objects, starvation as a method of warfare, extermination and genocide, and it asks British authorities to investigate, arrest and question him, citing Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. 1 Mixed · 2Director general Dyab Abou Jahjah said Dafna filmed himself destroying one of the last food production facilities serving a starving population and posted it "as a trophy"; head of litigation Natacha Bracq told Al Jazeera that if he is allowed to leave, "he will go back and commit more crimes". 1 2

Left · 1Al Jazeera said it asked the Metropolitan Police for comment and had not received a response; neither article reports a response from Dafna, the Israeli military or UK authorities, and the allegations are the foundation's. 2 Left · 1Al Jazeera describes the Brussels-based foundation as named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl killed with relatives when Israeli forces fired on their vehicle in Gaza City in January 2024, and says it builds complaints from soldiers' own social media posts, verified under the Berkeley Protocol and geolocated against satellite imagery. 2 Left · 1Bracq cited earlier cases: in Belgium two Israeli soldiers were detained and questioned then released, and the federal prosecutor referred the case to the ICC; in Canada, Guy Hochman was held for six hours at Toronto Pearson Airport; in Brazil in January 2025 authorities ordered an investigation, but the soldier left with Israeli assistance before being questioned. 2

Left · 1Jordanian-registered ICC lawyer Khaled al-Shouli said social media material can be valuable evidence, but that proving a soldier appeared at a scene does not alone prove he committed the crime, and he cautioned against promising victims' families that filing a complaint restores their rights. 2 Centre · 1Anadolu added Gaza Health Ministry figures: at least 1,551 Palestinians killed since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, and more than 74,000 since October 2023. 1