Pro-Palestinian Group Files War Crimes Complaint Against Israeli Soldier at Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a pro-Palestinian organization based in Brussels, filed an urgent criminal complaint on July 20, 2026, with the Belgian Federal Prosecutor against an Israeli soldier attending the Tomorrowland electronic music festival near Boom, Belgium. The complaint alleges the soldier, who serves in the IDF Combat Engineering Battalion 749, participated in war crimes during Israeli military operations in Gaza between October 2023 and November 2024, specifically citing the destruction of Palestine Square and surrounding buildings in Gaza's Rimal neighborhood in December 2023. HRF claims the soldier remained in Belgium after the first weekend of the festival and requested immediate investigation and preventive measures to ensure his availability for Belgian judicial authorities.
This is not HRF's first legal action against Israelis at Tomorrowland; in July 2025, the group filed complaints against two Israeli youths at the same festival, leading to their temporary detention by Belgian police. Those cases were eventually referred to the International Criminal Court. HRF states it has filed over 90 criminal complaints in more than 30 countries since 2024, aiming to hold individuals accused of international crimes accountable even when abroad.
HRF's founder and CEO, Diab Abu Jajeh, a 54-year-old Lebanese Shiite with ties to Hezbollah and Belgian citizenship, said the complaint challenges the culture of impunity protecting alleged perpetrators of crimes against Palestinians. He emphasized the obligation of Belgian authorities to act given the suspect's presence on their soil. Abu Jajeh himself is banned from entering the UK and is on a U.S. no-fly list.
The complaint includes evidence linking the soldier to military operations involving systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, commercial properties, public offices, and educational facilities such as the Atfaluna Association for Deaf Children. HRF has urged the Belgian prosecutor to transfer the case promptly to a judge to take necessary steps to prevent the suspect from leaving Belgium.
The second weekend of Tomorrowland is scheduled for the upcoming weekend, and the investigation's progress remains to be seen.
