HRF Files War Crimes Complaint in the Czech Republic Against Israeli Soldier Involved in War Crimes in Gaza

Roei Haimatan overseeing ethnic cleansing In Gaza

Prague – 22 September 2025

​The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint before the Prague Municipal Public Prosecutor’s Office against Israeli soldier Roei Haimatan, a member of the Givati Brigade, for his alleged involvement in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, committed in the Gaza Strip.

The complaint, submitted through our Czech Legal Counsel Mr. Jan Täubel, is based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which enables Czech courts to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes regardless of where they were committed or the nationality of the suspected perpetrator. The Hind Rajab Foundation has confirmed that Haimatan is currently present in the Czech Republic.

Documented Involvement in Atrocities

According to evidence submitted with the complaint, including a detailed investigative report by the Hind Rajab Foundation, Roei Haimatan served in the “Mivtzait” company of the 435th Infantry Battalion “Rotem” of the Givati Brigade. This unit was among the first to enter Gaza following October 7, 2023.

Social media posts published by Haimatan himself provide evidence of his direct participation in forced displacement of Palestinian civilians. Additional material indicates his potential role in unlawful confinement, torture, and ill-treatment of civilians, as well as the destruction of civilian property.

Further evidence comes from members of his unit, including Mori Keisar, against whom HRF filed a complaint in January 2025. Several soldiers have documented their deployment in Khan Younis during January and February 2024, revealing their involvement in additional crimes by Haimatan’s company:

• The destruction of civilian homes, including filmed demolitions​
• The forced displacement of residents of Khan Younis
• Indiscriminate gunfire at civilians across different parts of Gaza
• The humiliation of Palestinian detainees, captured in photographs and videos

The Foundation stresses that his actions cannot be seen as isolated misconduct, but as part of a wider, systematic pattern of atrocities carried out by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Call for Immediate Action

The complaint urges Czech authorities to take urgent steps to secure accountability, including:

• Seizing Haimatan’s electronic devices (mobile phones, laptops, storage media) to preserve potential evidence.
• Imposing travel restrictions or detention to prevent flight or the destruction of evidence.
• Initiating a full investigation into his role in international crimes committed in Gaza.​

​​Statements

​
Dyab Abou Jahjah, Chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation:
This case is about more than one soldier. Roei Haimatan’s actions reflect a broader system of impunity behind Israel’s assault on Gaza. By pursuing accountability wherever perpetrators are found, we affirm that those who commit genocide and war crimes will face justice.

​Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation of the Hind Rajab Foundation:
Czech law obliges prosecutors to act when suspects of genocide or war crimes are present on its territory. The evidence against Haimatan, much of it from his own social media, is credible and serious. The authorities must now open an investigation and secure the evidence without delay.

Jan Taubel, Legal Counsel:
War crimes should be prosecuted and punished regardless of the citizenship, religion or political affiliation of the perpetrators. I am very glad that TAUBEL LEGAL could at least in this way help justice to punish the atrocities committed by the occupation forces in Palestine. I firmly believe that the relevant Czech authorities will proceed impartially and regardless of any intervention attempts.

A Broader Strategy Against Impunity

The complaint against Roei Haimatan is part of the Hind Rajab Foundation’s broader strategy to pursue legal accountability for Israeli officials and soldiers implicated in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The Foundation is working at both the international level, through submissions to the International Criminal Court, and the national level, by triggering proceedings in jurisdictions across Europe and beyond.

By filing these cases, the Foundation seeks to ensure that individual perpetrators of atrocities face consequences and to close the space of impunity that has enabled repeated violations against Palestinians.

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