The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Brussels-based pro-Palestinian organization, filed an urgent criminal complaint with the Belgian federal prosecutor on Monday against an IDF veteran who attended Tomorrowland, the world's largest and best-known electronic music festival.
The festival is held annually over two weekends at a park near the town of Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels.
According to the organization, which pursues IDF soldiers traveling abroad, the young man is an IDF soldier who remained in Belgium after the festival.
The festival's first weekend ended on Monday night, and the second will take place this coming weekend. Organization representatives said the young man was identified during the festival and that they believe he remains in Belgium.
"Given the immediate risk that the suspect may leave the country, HRF requested urgent investigative and preventive measures and asked the Belgian federal prosecutor to refer the case without delay to an investigating judge who will examine the case and take 'all necessary measures to ensure that the suspect remains available to the Belgian judicial authorities.'"
According to the complaint, the man "was involved in war crimes committed in Gaza during Israeli military operations while serving in an Israeli military unit deployed in Gaza City and Rafah between October 2023 and November 2024."
The complaint focuses in particular on the destruction of Palestine Square and the surrounding buildings in Gaza's Rimal neighborhood in December 2023.
HRF claims that its investigation indicates that numerous civilian buildings were systematically destroyed using armored vehicles, military bulldozers, and controlled explosions. The damaged structures included residential buildings, commercial properties, public offices, and educational facilities, including the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.
The organization said it submitted "evidentiary material concerning the suspect's military service, deployment, unit affiliation, and alleged connection to the actions described in the complaint."
Israelis detained after Hind Rajab Foundation complaint
This is not the first time the Hind Rajab Foundation has taken action against Israelis in Belgium, nor is it the first time it has initiated legal proceedings against young Israelis who attended Tomorrowland.
On July 18, 2025, the organization, together with another nonprofit group, filed a complaint in Belgium against two young Israelis who were present at the festival grounds in Boom. Belgian federal police subsequently detained and questioned the two men.
However, as far as is known, no substantive legal proceedings were opened against them. They were released and permitted to leave Belgium, and on July 29, 2025, the Belgian federal prosecutor referred the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for further handling.
"This case demonstrated that the Belgian authorities are prepared to take immediate investigative action when suspects in international crimes are identified on Belgian soil," the organization said on Tuesday.
Since 2024, HRF has filed more than 90 criminal complaints and other legal submissions in more than 30 countries. Most were dismissed outright. Various procedural developments took place in countries including Brazil, Peru, Canada, and Greece.
"Through this aggressive litigation strategy, HRF seeks to ensure that individuals accused of international crimes cannot evade accountability by traveling outside Israel or living abroad," the organization said.
HRF founder says complaint 'challenges culture of impunity'
Dyab Abou Jahjah, HRF's founder and director general, is a 54-year-old Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim affiliated with Hezbollah. He grew up in the organization's stronghold in the Bint Jbail district and received Belgian citizenship after marrying a Belgian citizen, whom he has since divorced.
Commenting on the complaint, Abou Jahjah said, "By filing this complaint in Belgium, we are challenging the culture of impunity that has protected perpetrators of crimes against Palestinians for decades. The presence of an alleged perpetrator on Belgian territory creates both an opportunity and an obligation for the Belgian authorities to act."
Abou Jahjah himself has been barred from entering the UK and appears on a list of individuals prohibited from flying over US airspace.