India called on to arrest Israeli reservist holidaying in country
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Shraddha Joshi
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Fri, 06/05/2026 - 13:30
Hind Rajab Foundation files urgent complaint with Indian government over former Israeli soldier accused of war crimes
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on 25 February 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP)
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India is facing calls to arrest an Israeli reservist currently on holiday in the country over alleged war crimes.
Brussels-based organisation the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed an urgent complaint with Indian officials on Tuesday relating to Eitan Gilboa, who is in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
Submitted to the Indian police, home affairs ministry and immigration bureau, the complaint identified Gilboa as a reservist in the 271st Combat Engineering Battalion.
In a statement, HRF outlined its investigation into Gilboa, alleging that he “personally carried out and celebrated the systematic demolition of entire residential blocks in Gaza as acts of revenge, constituting war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960.”
Citing videos shared by his mother on social media, the organisation named several instances in which Gilboa celebrated and participated in the destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, including in Khan Younis and Rafah.
The complaint states that the Indian government is legally obligated to prosecute Gilboa under Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which requires signatory countries to “search for and prosecute individuals alleged to have committed grave breaches, regardless of nationality”.
The Hind Rajab Foundation has demanded that Indian authorities immediately arrest the reservist, lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against him, and order his removal from India in the case that an arrest is not possible.
In a comment shared by the organisation, HRF director Dyab Abou Jahjah said: “Eitan Gilboa is not a tourist. He is a war criminal currently enjoying the hospitality of India while fleeing the consequences of his crimes.”
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Jahjah, a Lebanese political activist, said that India “must not allow Indian soil to become a safe haven for those who celebrate the destruction of civilian lives”.
Indian activist Shrishti Khanna told Middle East Eye that “India is no stranger to Israeli soldiers,” explaining that thousands have vacationed in Himachal since the 1980s after their time in the Israeli military.
“What this complaint exposes is India's long-standing complicity, deepened under [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi's political, military and ideological alignment with Israel, to treat those emerging from an occupying army as harmless guests rather than subjects of scrutiny and accountability,” she said.
Khanna said she did not think India would take action, "but at least that will be on record too".
The government of India has also faced ongoing pressure from activists and civil society groups over its arms shipments to Israel, which have continued throughout the genocide in Gaza.
HRF noted that Tuesday’s complaint was the latest in over 90 criminal complaints across 30 jurisdictions, where the organisation has investigated and litigated the prosecution of alleged Israeli war criminals.
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