Israel soldiers delete social media accounts ahead of travel for fear of arrest

Israeli occupation soldiers who plan to travel are deleting their social media accounts for fear of prosecution on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Lebanon.

Dozens of Israeli soldiers are reportedly deleting their social media accounts, including Facebook and Instagram, before travelling to Brazil in the coming weeks to participate in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival next month.

Pro- Palestinian rights groups led by the Hind Rajab Foundation, an NGO based in Brussels, have used the soldiers’ social media accounts in addition to other material to compile evidence of atrocities committed against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the Hind Rajab Foundation filed lawsuits against Israeli soldiers in Sweden, Brazil and Italy on charges of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

“We are afraid the Brazilian authorities will arrest us following lawsuits filed by pro-Palestinian organisations and that our entire trip will be ruined. We saw what happened to the soldier who arrived in Brazil and had to flee in a complex operation to avoid arrest. We will not give ammunition (i.e. photos and videos) to these hostile organisations” Israel’s Channel 12 reported a soldier saying yesterday.

READ: Israel warns soldiers of risk of arrest if they travel abroad