ISLAMABAD: The Hind Rajab Foundation on Tuesday called upon the Indian Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Bureau of Immigration of India to immediately arrest Eitan Gilboa, a reservist in the Israeli army vacationing in Himachal Pradesh, for carrying out “systematic demolition of entire residential blocks in Gaza as acts of revenge.”
Gilboa, who was a reservist in the 271st Combat Engineering Battalion, documented “destruction of civilian buildings,” while also filming himself “ordering, executing, and celebrating the demolition of civilian homes in Khan Younis and Rafah,” the foundation said.
Charges against Gilboa included several specific incidents where he “participated in the destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
The foundation, which is an arm of the “March 30 Movement,” said that the acts committed by Gilboa violated the Fourth Geneva Convention and, as a signatory, New Delhi was legally obligated to search for and prosecute individuals alleged to have committed grave breaches, regardless of nationality.
It added that New Delhi was obligated to act under Article 51(c) of the Indian Constitution, which directed the state to foster respect for international law.
According to the foundation, HRF’s General Director Dyab Abou Jahjah said that Gilboa was not a tourist but a war criminal “currently enjoying the hospitality of India while fleeing the consequences of his crimes.”
“He has publicly documented himself turning entire neighborhoods in Gaza into ash and dust, dedicating these massacres to fallen soldiers as acts of revenge,” Jahjah was quoted as saying.
He called on New Delhi to act immediately and arrest him, adding that it “must not allow Indian soil to become a safe haven for those who celebrate the destruction of civilian lives.”
The foundation said it would not relent in its pursuit of accountability and that India held the suspect and the obligation to act.
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