Report: IDF warns 30 troops against overseas travel after pro-Palestinian groups file war crimes complaints

Troops of the Kfir Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, in a handout photo issued on December 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Troops of the Kfir Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, in a handout photo issued on December 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF has reportedly warned some 30 soldiers and officers who fought in the Gaza Strip to avoid traveling abroad after pro-Palestinian groups filed complaints against them for alleged war crimes.

At least eight of them — including troops who had traveled to Cyprus, Slovenia and the Netherlands — were told to immediately leave those nations due to fears they could be arrested or questioned, Ynet reports.

The IDF currently does not bar soldiers from traveling abroad, but it does take a “risk assessment” for troops who served in Gaza before approving their request, the report says.

Since the beginning of the war, the army has asked soldiers to not publish footage online of their activities during fighting in Gaza, to avoid it being used against them in a potential criminal investigation in another country. Journalists who have accompanied troops in Gaza have also been asked to blur the faces of soldiers for the same reason.

Despite this, soldiers continue to post videos and photos to their personal social media accounts, including footage showing activities that violate the IDF’s orders and could be against international law.

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