The International Criminal Court in The Hague’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is expected to lead to the arrests around the world of other senior officers and soldiers who served in Gaza, as reported this morning by the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
According to the report, about 30 complaints have been filed and some criminal proceedings have been initiated in various countries against senior IDF officers and soldiers who served in Operation Swords of Iron and were planning to travel abroad. The IDF warned soldiers to stay in Israel for fear of being arrested or interrogated when they arrive in those countries.
It was also reported that some of those who have already travelled to countries like Cyprus, the Netherlands and Slovenia have been instructed to return to Israel immediately.
The IDF prohibits soldiers and officers from leaving the country without proper authorization, but carefully considers each request individually and if they have participated in combat in Gaza, they are required to refrain from leaving the country.
The IDF has also instructed soldiers not to publish photos or videos from Gaza, to prevent them from being used against them in the future.
An inter-ministerial team led by the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs, along with the Military Advocate General's International Law Department, monitors legislative and judicial developments in various countries. They also hired local attorneys to assess which countries pose a risk of legal action and to assemble a team of leading prosecutors to defend officers and soldiers in extreme cases.