HRF Files Criminal Complaint in Prague Against Israeli Soldier Hagay Monsonego

2 January 2026 – Brussels / Prague

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint in the Czech Republic against Israeli soldier Hagay Monsonego, accusing him of genocide, war crimes, and persecution of civilians committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

This filing, submitted to the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Prague, marks HRF’s third criminal complaint in the Czech Republic related to crimes committed in Gaza. It follows confirmation that Monsonego is currently present in Prague, a fact that activates the Czech Republic’s obligations under international and domestic law.

With this third filing, HRF is no longer testing legal theory. It is testing state practice.

Hagay Monsonego posing proudly amid the ruins of Al-Azhar University in Gaza, a civilian center of learning that was deliberately destroyed.

From Documentation to Accountability

The Czech complaint follows HRF’s investigative report on Hagay Monsonego that documented his service in Gaza as a member of the Mesayaat Shaked Company, 424th “Shaked” Battalion, Givati Brigade, and placed him within the operational context of some of the most serious crimes committed during the assault on Gaza.

The complaint was filed by JUDr. Jan Täubel, LL.M., HRF’s legal counsel in the Czech Republic, translating HRF’s evidence into concrete allegations under Czech criminal law.

This is not an isolated action. It is part of a deliberate and escalating legal strategy: when perpetrators travel, accountability must follow.

Why the Czech Republic Must Act

The Czech Republic has incorporated the gravest international crimes into its criminal code, including:

• Genocide (§400)
• War crimes and war cruelties (§412)
• Persecution of the population (§413)

Under §7 of the Czech Criminal Code, these crimes fall under universal jurisdiction. Where a suspect is present on Czech territory, prosecutors are not merely empowered to act — they are legally obliged to do so.

International law is clear on this point: states must not become safe havens for individuals suspected of genocide or war crimes.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, devastated. Hagay Monsonego poses in front of what was a lifeline for patients, doctors, and the wounded.

Crimes Linked to Gaza

According to HRF’s investigation, Hagay Monsonego was deployed in Gaza between December 2023 and November 2025, including during the siege and destruction of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest hospital.

The complaint links Monsonego and his unit to:

• operations connected to an attack on a protected medical facility,
• the siege of civilians, patients, and medical staff,
• mass detention and mistreatment of Palestinian civilians,
• practices involving blindfolding, restraint, and humiliation during arrest and transfer operations.

These acts, the filing stresses, are not isolated incidents. They form part of a systematic military campaign directed against Gaza’s civilian population and the infrastructure sustaining civilian life.

A Test for the Rule of Law

With three criminal complaints now filed in the Czech Republic, HRF makes clear that the responsibility has shifted.

“

The Hind Rajab Foundation is more determined than ever to ensure that 2026 becomes a year of justice for the victims of the Gaza genocide — not another year of impunity for Israeli perpetrators,” said Dyab Abou Jahjah, General Director of HRF.
“States that claim to be governed by the rule of law must prove it in practice. Engaging seriously with these filings is not a political choice; it is a legal and moral obligation.

”

Failure to act would send a dangerous signal — not only to victims, but to perpetrators — that Prague risks becoming a safe haven for war criminals.

No Safe Haven in Europe

HRF will continue to pursue accountability wherever jurisdiction allows. Europe cannot credibly speak the language of human rights while offering quiet refuge to those implicated in the destruction of Gaza.

International law has meaning only when enforced.