New Delhi: The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a complaint with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Immigration and police seeking the arrest of Eitan Gilboa, an Israeli national who is currently holidaying in Himachal Pradesh. Gilboa, the HRF has said, is a reservist in the Israeli army and has been directly involved in bombings and large-scale demolitions of residential buildings in Palestine, which constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960.In a press release, HRF has said that their complaint details several instances where Gilboa had been involved in the destruction of civilian infrastructure in 2024, across Khan Younis, Rafah and Gaza. On the incident in Khan Younis, in January 2024, the HRF says:“Gilboa and his unit detonated a residential area, cheering as the buildings collapsed. The destruction was explicitly dedicated to the families of the battalion and the brigade. In a video published on 21 January 2024, by his brigade, the commander of the 271st Battalion, Lt. Col. Yossi Edri, is seen giving a speech and counting down prior to the demolition, with Eitan Gilboa standing beside him. Edri states: “We convey a clear message from here to Hamas, to the Strip, and to anyone who has risen or will rise against us: We will find you, we will reach you, and we will leave behind only ash and dust. The next detonation—is for the families of the battalion and the brigade… All stations, this is Commander Akrai. Our statue [blast] in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…””HRF also says it has videos that Gilboa himself has filmed, where he is seen ordering, carrying out and celebrating the destruction of civilian infrastructure. These videos were reportedly shared by Gilboa’s family on social media.Based on the evidence provided, the HRF has asked the Indian police to arrest Gilboa under Section 35(1)(c) of the BNSS read with Section 3 and Section 4 of the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960. If an arrest is not possible, they ask that the home ministry and immigration bureau remove Gilboa from Indian territories.On why it has urged India to act, the HRF says, “These acts violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by India. As a signatory to the convention, India is legally obligated under Article 146 of the Geneva Conventions to search for and prosecute individuals alleged to have committed grave breaches, regardless of nationality. Furthermore, the presence of Gilboa in India contradicts Article 51(c) of the Indian Constitution, which directs the State to foster respect for international law.”“Eitan Gilboa is not a tourist. He is a war criminal currently enjoying the hospitality of India while fleeing the consequences of his crimes. He has publicly documented himself turning entire neighbourhoods in Gaza into ash and dust, dedicating these massacres to fallen soldiers as acts of revenge. The videos show him triggering explosives that wiped out entire residential buildings in Gaza. India must act immediately to arrest him. It must not allow Indian soil to become a safe haven for those who celebrate the destruction of civilian lives,” Dyab Abou Jahjah, General Director of the Hind Rajab Foundation, has said.The Foundation has not received a response from the Indian authorities yet, HRF said on Wednesday afternoon.HRF, registered in Belgium, is named after the five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli Defence Forces on January 29, 2024 along with the rest of her family as they tried to escape Gaza City. Hind had survived the initial attack but was trapped in a car, and the rest of her family had been killed. She managed to call emergency services before she too was killed by the Israeli forces, and recordings of those calls have been heard across the world.A film about her murder, The Voice of Hind Rajab, was nominated for an Oscar but the Indian Central Board of Film Certification refused to allow its release in India for months, saying that it would damage Indo-Israel ties. It has finally been cleared by the CBFC for release just this week, and will be released in India on June 19 with an ‘A’ (adult) certificate.