The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint with British authorities against Israeli soldier Lidor Dafna, accusing him of involvement in alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide during Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the foundation said Dafna, an Israeli reservist who operated a D9 armoured bulldozer with the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion of the 7th Armoured Brigade, had participated in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon since November 2023.
The organisation said it had reason to believe that Dafna was currently in the United Kingdom and urged British authorities to investigate the allegations.
The complaint centres on the destruction of Great Ocean Mills, an industrial flour production facility situated in the Morag Corridor between Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza.
According to HRF, the facility’s wheat silos were demolished on May 25, 2025, during Israeli military operations in the area.
The foundation said video footage published on Dafna’s social media accounts showed a bulldozer destroying the silos, which it described as an important component of Gaza’s food production infrastructure.
HRF further alleged that Israeli forces subsequently occupied the facility and converted it into a military position.
The organisation claimed that the site was later used by Israeli personnel to fire at Palestinians seeking food assistance near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution point.
The foundation placed particular emphasis on the humanitarian conditions prevailing at the time of the demolition, alleging that Israel had blocked the entry of food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza.
According to HRF, flour prices had reportedly risen to as much as $70 per kilogram, while approximately half a million Palestinians were facing starvation.
The organisation argued that the destruction of a flour production facility under such circumstances raised serious questions about the deliberate targeting of infrastructure essential to civilian survival.
The complaint also addresses the wider activities of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion during the establishment of the Morag Corridor.
HRF alleged that the unit carried out more than 60 controlled demolitions, including the destruction of residential buildings and mosques, alongside extensive damage to agricultural land and other civilian infrastructure.
The foundation said its investigation had identified grounds for examining Dafna’s potential criminal responsibility for the extensive destruction of property without military necessity and the intentional targeting of civilian objects.
It further alleged that the conduct described in its complaint could constitute the use of starvation as a method of warfare, extermination as a crime against humanity and acts of genocide.
These allegations remain claims made by the foundation and have not been established by a British court.
Citing Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, HRF called on UK authorities to open a criminal investigation and take steps to locate, arrest and question Dafna.
The provision requires states party to the convention to search for individuals alleged to have committed grave breaches and to bring them before their courts or, under specified conditions, hand them over to another state for prosecution.
The foundation maintained that the evidence it had collected warranted a formal investigation into Dafna’s alleged role in the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
There was no indication in the information provided that British authorities had opened criminal proceedings or that Dafna had been charged in connection with the complaint.