The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint in Romania against Israeli soldier Elyahu Nishli.
The complaint is based on an HRF investigation documenting Nishli’s conduct during Israeli military operations in northern Gaza between November and December 2024 .
An Extremist Battalion with a Record of Abuse
Elyahu Nishli served in the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a unit of the Kfir Brigade long associated with serious violations against Palestinians.
The battalion has repeatedly been implicated in cases involving the killing of detainees, torture, and degrading treatment. Its recruitment base includes elements linked to extremist settler networks, reinforcing its reputation as an ideologically radical formation .
In 2024, the United States took the unprecedented step of placing the Netzah Yehuda Battalion on a sanctions list, citing credible allegations of gross human rights violations. This designation marked the first time a specific Israeli military unit faced such measures from the U.S., underscoring the severity and credibility of the allegations associated with the battalion.
Nishli’s membership in this unit situates his conduct within a broader pattern of systematic abuse.
Members of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion posing with an Israeli flag in front of a burned civilian home in Gaza, amid widespread destruction of residential areas
Documented Crimes in Jabalia
From October 2024 to January 2025, northern Gaza experienced unprecedented levels of destruction. On 5 and 6 October 2024, the Israeli military launched its third ground invasion into the northern Gaza Strip, including Jabalia, as part of the implementation of the so-called “Generals’ Plan”. This strategy aimed to systematically depopulate the region by demolishing key infrastructure, enforcing mass displacement, and imposing a total blockade on essential supplies such as food, water, and medicine.
HRF’s investigation found that the Kfir Brigade took part in the implementation of the Generals’ Plan and was deployed to Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia in Norther Gaza between November and December 2024.
The evidence collected by HRF reveals that Nishli was also present in Jabalia during this operation. During his presence, entire residential areas were reduced to rubble, with approximately 70% of homes in Jabalia reported destroyed.
Photographs and videos published by Nishli himself show him operating inside heavily damaged civilian homes, surrounded by debris and destroyed furniture.
In addition to destruction, HRF documented evidence of Nishli’s involvement in the arrest and detention of Palestinian civilians at the same period. A key image shows Nishli standing with a rifle next to one elderly Palestinian man and two Palestinian men blindfolded and hands tied before them, seating on plastic chairs under the sun. All three appear to be wearing civilian clothing.
Elyahu Nishli posing with three blindfolded and bound Palestinian civilians in Jabalia, northern Gaza (December 2024), documenting their unlawful detention and humiliation
The image reflects a broader, well-documented pattern of mass arrests and detentions of Palestinians since the beginning of the war. Israeli forces have systematically arrested thousands of civilians. Following their arrests, most Palestinians were detained in military outposts inside Gaza, then transferred to Israeli detention facilities, such as military camps or Israeli prisons. During the entire process, they were subjected to ill-treatment, in most cases amounting to torture.
The photograph published by Nishli not only depicts the victims in a state of extreme powerlessness, blindfolded, handcuffed, and immobilized on a chair, but also serves as a deliberate display of domination, with Nishli posing triumphantly in front of them, turning their suffering into an object of humiliation and intimidation. Nishli later chose to post the photograph on his public social media account in an attempt to humiliate them, creating a lasting record of their vulnerability and subjugation. The circumstances and the manner in which the image is taken clearly show an intent to strip them of dignity.
Legal Qualification of the Acts
HRF submitted that Elyahu Nishli may bear individual criminal responsibility for:
- Extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.
- Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives.
- Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives.
- Unlawful confinement of protected persons.
- Torture or inhuman treatment.
- Outrages upon personal dignity.
Romania’s Legal Obligations to Act
The presence of Elyahu Nishli in Romania creates a clear legal obligation for Romanian authorities.
Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, and as a State Party to the Rome Statute, the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, Romania is required to:
- Investigate credible allegations of international crimes.
- Prevent suspects from evading justice.
- Preserve and assess available evidence.
- Prosecute or cooperate with international judicial mechanisms.
A Suspect with Possible Romanian Links
HRF’s investigation indicates that Elyahu Nishli has repeatedly travelled to Romania and may hold Romanian nationality, although this has not yet been formally confirmed.
His repeated presence in Bucharest, combined with indicators suggesting possible dual citizenship, reinforces the jurisdictional basis for Romanian authorities to act and heightens the urgency of judicial intervention .
Toward Accountability
This case reflects HRF’s broader strategy: transforming documented evidence into concrete legal action across jurisdictions.
The proceedings in Romania represent a critical test of the international system’s ability to uphold accountability for grave crimes. The Hind Rajab Foundation will continue to pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity are brought before justice.