The legal fate of French-Israeli soldiers could become a major issue in the coming months and years. Several hundred dual nationals have participated in military operations conducted by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023, the day after the massacre of soldiers and civilians carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and its allies. Their dual nationality makes them liable to prosecution in France, initiated by several human rights groups and associations supporting the Palestinian people.
A complaint seeking the opening of a judicial investigation against two French-Israeli soldiers for "war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide" was filed on Tuesday, July 1, according to information obtained by Le Monde. The two soldiers, named Sasha A. and Gabriel B. H., are accused of belonging to an elite unit, the 9th Platoon of the Auxiliary Company of the 202nd Battalion of the Israeli army's Paratrooper Brigade, also known as the Ghost Unit. They are suspected of killing several dozen unarmed Palestinian civilians not in uniforms in "deconflicted" zones, meaning outside combat areas, in 2023 and 2024. The issue remains highly relevant as Palestinians continue to be killed daily while queuing at humanitarian aid distribution centers.
The complaint was filed by the International Federation for Human Rights, the French Human Rights League and the France Palestine Solidarity Association, as well as three Palestinian organizations: Al-Haq, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
The main information in the complaint comes from a 38-minute report by independent Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, broadcast on X in October 2024. It is based on footage filmed by both Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers, several minutes of which were posted on YouTube with commentary by a member of the unit, the American-Israeli Daniel Raab. The Ghost Unit, reportedly composed of about 20 men, is made up of pairs of snipers, the majority of whom are dual nationals. Tirawi compiled an organizational chart of the unit, which includes Sasha A. and Gabriel B. H.
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