By Muhammed Enes Calli
ISTANBUL (AA) – A Dutch non-governmental group filed a complaint with prosecutors against dual nationals who allegedly committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip after joining the Israeli army.
The March 30 Movement, represented by attorney Haroon Raza, formally lodged a complaint against Leah Rachmani, who posted on social media during her Israeli army service.
The complaint was submitted to the National Dutch Prosecutors Office and outlined allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potential genocide in Gaza by the Israeli army.
"We know what is happening in Gaza," Raza told Anadolu, referring to Israel's relentless attack on Gaza since Oct. 7, killing at least 28,663 victims and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
"We have social media, of course, and direct access to certain clients in Gaza, who are telling us about these war crimes and genocide. So, that's the main reason for us as well through the March 30 Movement to do something about that," he said.
"The first thing you should do is look at the laws in the countries where you are living and see what you could do regarding this issue. One of the easiest and most accessible steps is to file a complaint with the prosecutor's office."
The March 30 Movement was founded by activists in response to the latest developments in Gaza.
It is waiting for the prosecutors to accept the complaints for the next stage. If the complaints are not accepted, Raza said it would appeal to a Dutch high court.
The movement has lodged complaints against 10 Israeli soldiers – some have dual nationality, not only Dutch, but from other European countries, he said.
It requested that the prosecutors' office at least launch an investigation and follow up on the prosecution, he said.
-Ample social media evidence
The complaints are very simple, said Raza, adding that evidence backing them up is ample because of what soldiers revealed on social media.
"Generally, all of these soldiers, all, have given us evidence and the world evidence via open social media accounts such as Instagram, TikTok,” he said.
"They have been very proudly dancing around on tanks while killing people. They have been proliferating this disinformation for the whole world to see.
"So, all we have done is we have been looking on social media and gathered that evidence and just submitted it. And that's how simple it is."
He stressed that under Dutch law, for instance, if you charge and prosecute the Daesh/ISIS terror group, you can also charge the Israeli military for the same thing.
"So, there's no reason whatsoever they should not arrest and prosecute any and all IDF (Israeli army) soldiers who have been found to actively participate in this war and genocide," he said.
Raza said in the Netherlands, if you commit murder, you can face life in prison.
"If you actually kill somebody ... or fall within the genocide Convention or another category of war crimes, you can receive a life sentence," he said.
“I don't expect the Dutch courts to do that," said Raza, adding that he expects if the court takes its responsibilities under international law seriously, the soldiers should go to jail for a couple of years at least.
"They are indiscriminately killing civilians, as we can all see without a doubt, attacking hospitals, blowing up ambulances and killing journalists, writers, putting lawyers in jail," he said. "They have been doing this for many years."
- Complaints against Dutch prime minister
The March 30 Movement also lodged complaints against Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Cabinet ministers, and companies actively in the war in Gaza.
The Netherlands has been complicit with Israel by re-exporting arms and spare parts for weapons, not just F-35 fighter jets but Apaches, missiles, and other weapon systems, as well as sharing knowledge, said Raza.
Those weapons are now being used actively in Gaza, he added.
The lawyer stressed that the Dutch government was aware of it and actively supported Israel. The support included actions such as abstaining in UN votes against a cease-fire and employing political tactics to advance an Israeli agenda, he said.
"That is why we felt the necessity to also file a complaint against the prime minister, other ministers, and companies," he said.
Following an initial Oct. 7 attack by Hamas killing some 1,200 Israelis, an Israeli offensive has killed at least 28,775 people.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.