{"id":29602,"date":"2026-02-22T05:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=29602"},"modified":"2026-02-22T05:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:22:11","slug":"israeli-army-sniper-in-chile-accused-of-gaza-war-crimes-could-face-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=29602","title":{"rendered":"Israeli army sniper in Chile accused of Gaza war crimes could face justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><strong>Rom Kovtun\u2019s own social media posts reveal he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to \u2018universal jurisdiction\u2019 legal jeopardy.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/getty_699577aad5-1771403178.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"SANTIAGO, CHILE - JUNE 14: Protesters wave Palestinian flag during the global march in support of Gaza on June 14, 2025 in Santiago, Chile. Activists called people to join the protest and gather supplies to send humanitarian aid to Gaza. (Photo by Marcelo Hernandez\/Getty Images)\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>02:43<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Hind Rajab Foundation seeks Chilean prosecution of ex-Israeli sniper over Gaza war crimes<\/strong><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/author\/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Chilean court is considering a criminal complaint against a former Israeli army sniper who served in Gaza during Israel\u2019s more than two-year-long genocide on the coastal enclave and the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rom Kovtun\u2019s own social media posts revealed he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to what legal experts call \u201cuniversal jurisdiction\u201d. Kovtun, an Israeli-Ukrainian, served as a sniper in Israel\u2019s 424th Shaked Battalion in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Jazeera\u2019s Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, said images posted online show Kovtun swimming in a lake in south-central Chile with other former Israeli soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHis knack for posting leisure and wartime escapades on Instagram is what allowed the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) to file a criminal complaint in Chile, accusing him of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/1\/10\/impunity-and-accountability-the-ngo-holding-israeli-troops-to-account\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Belgium-based HRF<\/a>&nbsp;is named after a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024, and whose case drew global attention to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The HRF has assembled a global team of lawyers and activists to build legal cases, drawing mainly on social media posts published by Israeli soldiers themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/01ec7dfa-8dc9-49ef-8037-96ac78fba53d\/61daf40f-68f4-4cb9-b5ea-fb6f30befd31\/1920x1080\/match\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"playlist-container\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Now Playing02:45<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/01ec7dfa-8dc9-49ef-8037-96ac78fba53d\/5fe0ba96-f56f-4978-a79a-b356e99d50f2\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/01ec7dfa-8dc9-49ef-8037-96ac78fba53d\/5fe0ba96-f56f-4978-a79a-b356e99d50f2\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/01ec7dfa-8dc9-49ef-8037-96ac78fba53d\/5fe0ba96-f56f-4978-a79a-b356e99d50f2\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"War crimes complaint against Israeli sniper filed in Chile\">War crimes complaint against Israeli sniper filed in Chile<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Next02:17<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/f7cff224-80f5-4586-adb0-8bc743c5766f\/faf2dff2-676f-4b61-8e6c-b29f22e7228f\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/f7cff224-80f5-4586-adb0-8bc743c5766f\/faf2dff2-676f-4b61-8e6c-b29f22e7228f\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/f7cff224-80f5-4586-adb0-8bc743c5766f\/faf2dff2-676f-4b61-8e6c-b29f22e7228f\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Colombia battles ongoing flood threat: Communities work to hold back rising rivers\">Colombia battles ongoing flood threat: Communities work to hold back rising rivers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>02:32<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/08ae6988-2600-4e6e-a1a9-c351fa2a2061\/5dafe23a-56f6-4c0f-aea4-50c0be460a1e\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/08ae6988-2600-4e6e-a1a9-c351fa2a2061\/5dafe23a-56f6-4c0f-aea4-50c0be460a1e\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/08ae6988-2600-4e6e-a1a9-c351fa2a2061\/5dafe23a-56f6-4c0f-aea4-50c0be460a1e\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Iran plans to offer US proposal after Geneva nuclear talks amid US-Iran standoff\">Iran plans to offer US proposal after Geneva nuclear talks amid US-Iran standoff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>01:41<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/18ccb95f-fd92-4aeb-97e3-5ee23c621034\/6750f680-4a9d-42a8-bbed-483e00c42282\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/18ccb95f-fd92-4aeb-97e3-5ee23c621034\/6750f680-4a9d-42a8-bbed-483e00c42282\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/18ccb95f-fd92-4aeb-97e3-5ee23c621034\/6750f680-4a9d-42a8-bbed-483e00c42282\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Syria youth: New initiatives bring hope for young Syrians\n\">Syria youth: New initiatives bring hope for young Syrians<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>02:42<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/e72d84cb-38a9-46c8-bf14-56516282f330\/959c9b9f-5f5c-490a-966e-783818afce7a\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/e72d84cb-38a9-46c8-bf14-56516282f330\/959c9b9f-5f5c-490a-966e-783818afce7a\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/e72d84cb-38a9-46c8-bf14-56516282f330\/959c9b9f-5f5c-490a-966e-783818afce7a\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Star grazing in Texas: Telescope farm unites remote astronomers worldwide\n\">Star grazing in Texas: Telescope farm unites remote astronomers worldwide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"universal-jurisdiction\">Universal jurisdiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Chile\u2019s domestic law incorporates the International Criminal Court\u2019s (ICC) Rome Statute, enabling courts to exercise universal jurisdiction in certain cases, Pablo Andres Araya, a lawyer with HRF, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis applies when it\u2019s clear that the person accused of these crimes will not be tried in his or her country of origin,\u201d Araya told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd there\u2019s no question that soldiers who\u2019ve committed atrocities in Gaza will not be tried by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Jazeera\u2019s Newman reported that Kovtun laid siege to the enclave\u2019s largest hospital, al-Shifa, between March and April 2024, allegedly playing a key role in the mass death of civilians and destruction that ensued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The siege denied water, food, medicine and electricity to all those inside, leading to the death of an estimated 500 doctors, nurses and patients, including newborn babies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"no-longer-welcome\">\u2018No longer welcome\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChile is a favourite holiday destination for Israeli soldiers who\u2019ve completed their military service,\u201d Newman said. \u201cBut they\u2019re no longer as welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The South American nation is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora outside of the Middle East, and Chileans in general are seen as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, Newman noted that none of it would have \u201cany bearing on the case\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a purely legal, complex judicial issue that could take time, enough time to allow the former Israeli sniper to be long gone,\u201d Newman added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reference Link:- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/18\/israeli-army-sniper-in-chile-accused-of-gaza-war-crimes-could-face-justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/18\/israeli-army-sniper-in-chile-accused-of-gaza-war-crimes-could-face-justice<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rom Kovtun\u2019s own social media posts reveal he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to \u2018universal jurisdiction\u2019 legal jeopardy. 02:43 Hind Rajab Foundation seeks Chilean prosecution of ex-Israeli sniper over Gaza war crimes A Chilean court is considering a criminal complaint against a former Israeli army sniper who served in Gaza during Israel\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[25547,24508,23877,23749,1737,10003,7730,1254,27196,27199,23750,27198,27197,1515],"class_list":["post-29602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-annexation","tag-atrocities-2","tag-brutalities-2","tag-famine-2","tag-gaza-2","tag-genocide-2","tag-humanity-2","tag-israeli-agression","tag-israeli-crimes","tag-legal-jeopardy","tag-starvation-2","tag-supression-2","tag-terror","tag-west-bank-2","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29604,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29602\/revisions\/29604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}