Published On 24/10/2025
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Last update: 23:21 (Mecca time)
The Hind Rajab Foundation announced that it had filed a detailed criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor against a soldier in the Israeli occupation army, who holds dual Israeli and German citizenship, and who participated in the war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.
The foundation said that Shimon Avi Zuckerman served as a combat engineer in the 8219 Engineer Battalion of the 551st Brigade of the Israeli Army during its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The foundation accuses Zuckerman of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide under the German Crimes Against International Law Act.
According to the Foundation, Zuckerman documented his military activities during the war on his Instagram account, and published many snapshots and photos from the battlefield, not only of his presence and actions in combat zones, but specifically of the destruction of Palestinian civilian infrastructure.
The complaint also shows Zuckerman in multiple videos and posts blowing up or celebrating the demolition of residential buildings. Posts often include scenes of destruction, accompanied by celebratory gestures such as smoking shisha, cheering with fellow soldiers, or posing in front of the camera before and after explosions.
Documented crimes
The Hind Rajab Foundation said that among the most horrific incidents were those that documented Operation “Nair and Oz,” in which the Palestinian town of Khuza’a, inhabited by about 5,000 people, was demolished.
Zuckerman’s unit, the 8219th Engineer Battalion, played a pivotal role in destroying the area, turning homes, schools, mosques, a water station, and an apartment building into rubble.
Footage published by Zuckerman shows him carrying out the demolition operations directly, cheering with his companions, and documenting the destruction as a form of representation.
In one of the clips, the accused soldier is shown standing and laughing while buildings collapse behind him, and in another video clip, he is shown carrying out an explosion without wearing a helmet, which indicates a non-combat situation and the absence of military necessity, according to what was stated in the institution’s report.
Germany and the rule of law
The Director General of the Hind Rajab Foundation, Diab Abu Jahjah, called for the law to be applied to Zuckerman, and said that if “Germany refuses to act on this matter, it is sending a message that the law is only applied when politics allows it,” adding that “the state of law cannot choose justice selectively.”
This complaint is part of the legal campaign launched by the Hind Rajab Foundation to uncover and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s war on Gaza.