Belgian authorities briefly detained and questioned two Israeli citizens who had attended an electronic music festival last week due to accusations of war crimes made by pro-Palestinian groups.
Prosecutors revealed that they received legal complaints alleging that two Israeli soldiers involved in “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza were seen at the Tomorrowland festival near the northern city of Antwerp. Consequently, the federal prosecutor’s office requested the police to locate and interview the individuals named in the complaint. Following the interviews, the individuals were released.
The prosecutor’s office stated that they took action after determining that Belgian courts possess extraterritorial jurisdiction over alleged war crimes. They added that no further information will be provided at this stage of the investigation. The identities of the two Israelis have not been disclosed.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organization, claimed to have identified two Israeli soldiers, responsible for grave international crimes in Gaza, among the attendees at Tomorrowland. They alleged that a group of young Israeli men were seen waving the flag of the Givati Brigade, an Israeli military unit involved in conflicts in the Palestinian territories, at the festival.
The HRF filed a complaint with prosecutors in collaboration with the Global Legal Action Network, a human rights-focused lawyers’ group. Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals, attracts music enthusiasts from around the globe, with an expected attendance of approximately 400,000 people over two weekends this year.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/21/belgian-police-question-two-israelis-over-war-crimes-accusations
