Rights groups file case in Germany against German-Israeli soldier over suspected Gaza war crimes

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BERLIN (Reuters) -Human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit against an Israeli soldier of German origin over suspected involvement in the targeted killing of unarmed Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and three Palestinian human rights organisations said they filed a criminal complaint with Germany’s federal prosecutor against a sniper in the Israeli Defense Forces.

ECCHR said the 25-year-old soldier was born and raised in Munich and had a registered residence in Germany until recently, but could not confirm that the man had dual citizenship.

In a 130-page complaint, ECCHR said the groups submitted evidence, including investigative research and audiovisual recordings, alleging that the soldier belonged to the so-called “Ghost Unit” of the 202nd Paratroopers Battalion.

The ECCHR statement said its evidence indicated that members of the unit deliberately killed civilians in Gaza.

The Israeli military and foreign ministry and Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The human rights groups said targeted sniper shootings were documented near Gaza’s Al Quds and Nasser hospitals between November 2023 and March 2024, adding that legal proceedings against members of the same unit were also underway in France, Italy, South Africa and Belgium.

The case was filed under German laws that allow prosecutors to pursue international crimes if the accused persons were born in Germany or German nationals, ECCHR said.

“There must be no double standards – even if the suspects are members of the Israeli armed forces,” ECCHR’s lawyer Alexander Schwarz said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Steven Scheer; Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Ros Russell)