The Hind Rajab Foundation has submitted a criminal complaint in the Netherlands against a former US-Israeli soldier over his alleged involvement in operations targeting displaced Palestinians and residential buildings in Gaza. The complaint names Noam Himmelman, a former member of the Israeli army's Netzah Yehuda Battalion who is currently in Amsterdam.
Filed with the Dutch National Public Prosecutor's Office on 4 November, the complaint alleges involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide during Israel's war on Gaza. HRF brought the case under the Dutch International Crimes Act, which permits the prosecution of international crimes when a suspect is on Dutch territory.
A central allegation concerns an Israeli military operation in Beit Hanoun on 16 April 2024. According to the foundation, Israeli troops, including members of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, encircled schools that were being used as shelters by thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war.
HRF alleges that soldiers opened fire on the school complex and detained dozens of men. Elderly people and teenagers were among those taken into custody, according to the foundation's account. It says the detainees were made to remove their clothes before soldiers took them away from the site.
The foundation says Himmelman recorded the arrests in a story posted on Instagram. HRF says it subsequently verified the material and established that it showed a military outpost near the school. The social media account forms part of the foundation's allegations concerning his involvement in the detentions.
The complaint also addresses the destruction of housing in Beit Hanoun between January and July 2025. HRF alleges that the battalion carried out controlled demolitions of residential buildings throughout that period, contributing to widespread destruction across the town. Himmelman was serving with the unit during those operations.
Alongside the allegations concerning Gaza, the filing refers to earlier accusations of abuse involving the battalion. These include the death in 2022 of Omar Assad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American, after soldiers from the unit detained him.
HRF also announced the Dutch filing in a social media post on 5 November. That statement identified Himmelman as a former soldier in the Kfir Brigade's 97th Battalion and reiterated that he was in Amsterdam.
