Peruvian prosecutors have opened a preliminary criminal investigation into an Israeli soldier accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza , in what campaigners described as a significant step towards pursuing Israeli military personnel under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The Hind Rajab Foundation announced that Peru’s First Central Criminal Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights and Counterterrorism had ordered a 15-day preliminary investigation into a soldier from the Israeli army’s 424th "Shaked" Battalion of the Givati Brigade.
According to the foundation, the investigation relates to allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed during Israel’s war on Gaza.
The complaint was filed by Peruvian lawyer Julio Cesar Arbizu Gonzalez of the Arbizu & Gamarra law firm after reports indicated the soldier was present in Peru, allegedly in the capital Lima and possibly the city of Cusco.
The foundation said the case activates Peru’s obligations under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of the gravest international crimes regardless of where the alleged offences took place or the nationality of those involved.
According to the organisation, investigators reconstructed the soldier’s alleged operational role during the Gaza war between November 2023 and October 2024, with the case file documenting what it described as specific violations of international humanitarian law.
The foundation accused the soldier of participating in the "systematic destruction of civilian objects", including the levelling of residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure in densely populated parts of Gaza, particularly the al-Rimal neighbourhood and Jabalia refugee camp.
It said the evidence includes photographs and video testimony, much of it allegedly sourced from the soldier’s own social media accounts, showing burned homes and widespread destruction of civilian property.
The complaint also alleges the soldier was identified operating near facilities belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and essential medical infrastructure, including a health centre in Jabalia.
According to the foundation, military operations in those areas caused "catastrophic structural damage" and harmed protected civilians and medical workers.
The organisation further argued that the soldier was not acting individually, but as part of military units involved in "ground assaults and large-scale destruction operations" contributing to what it described as a systematic pattern of violence directed against Gaza’s civilian population.
The statement noted that the 424th "Shaked" Battalion has repeatedly appeared in investigations conducted by the Hind Rajab Foundation relating to the Gaza war.
The foundation said Peruvian prosecutors formally recognised the legal basis of the complaint under Peru’s ratification of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
According to the statement, prosecutors also issued urgent directives to verify the soldier’s presence in Peru, review social media material and open-source evidence, and formally confirm the suspect’s identity.
Diab Abu Jahjah, director-general of the Hind Rajab Foundation, said the organisation "welcomes the decision of the Peruvian prosecutor’s office to open the investigation".
"Peru has a long and honourable tradition in defending human rights, and by activating universal jurisdiction it is honouring this legacy," he said.
He added: "Once the suspect’s presence on Peruvian soil is confirmed, we call on the authorities to issue an arrest warrant without delay. The victims of these atrocities deserve nothing less than a state that stands firmly on the side of justice."
Natasha Brack, the foundation’s litigation officer, said the case file contains "irrefutable digital forensic evidence", including geolocated photographs, military unit records, and social media posts allegedly published by the soldier himself.
She described an arrest warrant as "the logical and necessary next step" to prevent the suspect from fleeing and to ensure justice is served.