CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has demanded the immediate arrest of Israeli army reservist Eitan Gilboa, who is currently in India, after the Hind Rajab Foundation filed an urgent complaint before Indian authorities accusing him of war crimes in Gaza.
“An Israeli war criminal is visiting India pretending to be a tourist. The Government of India must comply with international law and arrest him,” Dipankar Bhattacharya said, responding to the complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a international organisation formed in memory of six-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab who was killed in Gaza by Israeli army.
The Hind Rajab Foundation has submitted a detailed complaint to the Indian Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration, calling for Gilboa’s immediate arrest. According to HRF, Gilboa is presently vacationing in Himachal Pradesh, including Old Manali and Gondla Village.
HRF has said that Gilboa, a reservist in the Israeli army’s 271st Combat Engineering Battalion, personally participated in and celebrated the demolition of entire residential blocks in Gaza. The Foundation has stated that these acts amount to war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960.
According to the complaint, Gilboa documented the destruction of civilian homes in Khan Younis and Rafah. HRF says he was filmed ordering, executing and celebrating demolitions of civilian buildings, with the videos later posted on social media by his mother. The posts, according to HRF, show that the demolitions were carried out as acts of revenge.
The complaint cites incidents from Khan Younis in January 2024, Rafah in June 2024 and Gaza in July 2024. In Khan Younis, Gilboa and his unit allegedly detonated a residential area while cheering the collapse of buildings. In Rafah and Gaza, HRF says Gilboa was involved in demolitions dedicated to Colonel Assaf Hamami of the Israeli army.
HRF has stated that it has submitted geolocated videos, social media material and chain-of-command documentation as part of its investigative dossier.
CPI(ML) said the presence of an accused Israeli war criminal on Indian soil is a direct test of India’s commitment to international law. India has ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention, and under Article 146, it has an obligation to search for and prosecute persons accused of grave breaches, irrespective of nationality. Article 51(c) of the Indian Constitution also directs the Indian State to foster respect for international law.
The Modi government cannot allow India to become a safe tourist haven for those participating in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. CPI(ML) has demanded that Indian authorities immediately act on the HRF complaint, detain Eitan Gilboa, and initiate legal proceedings in accordance with India’s international obligations.
