Images have been recently shared on social media that are said to indicate that Israeli soldiers have been arrested by Dutch police.
One photo shows a police officer leading a young woman with his arms. The caption, shared alongside the photos in several posts, states that it indicates that Israel, named “Yukal Yurita,” has been arrested.
“Breaking: Dutch police carried Israeli police officer Yukal Yurita while on vacation in Israeli Europe. He was criticized by Rafa human rights groups who had slaughtered civilians and levelled the entire neighborhood,” he shared on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Another photo claims that Dutch police are arresting a major Israeli general called “Shitan Shaul,” who is said to be the commander of the armored corps. Again, social media users say they have been arrested for committing a war crime in Rafa, near the Egyptian border.
British party attendees and Irish gangs
However, reverse image searches for both photos revealed that the photos feature a variety of people arrested in other countries than they claim in social media posts.
Images shared in a post relating to the arrest that appears to have been Yukhal Yulita’s arrest date back to August 2016.
It was featured in an article published at the time by The Daily Mail, a British tabloid paper about people partying in the UK city of Newcastle on the bank holidays in August, which takes place on the last Monday of August.
The article caption of the photo reads, “The police march through a petite girl (right) away from the city centre scene.”
Furthermore, while the label on the police uniforms states that the police officers’ uniforms are labeled, in the Netherlands, uniforms have Dutch words about this role.
Meanwhile, the photo claims that it actually explains the recent arrest of “Shitan Shaul” until September 2022.
The photo was included in various media articles regarding the arrest of “one of Europe’s biggest money launderers,” which Irish newspapers dubbed John Francis Morrissey during the raid in southern Spain.
The operation will allow Spanish Guardian citizens (one of the country’s two national police forces) to see officers on the left of the detainee, similar to Ireland’s Garda, whose logo is visible in the uniform on the right of the photo.
None of the uniforms correlate with Dutch police uniforms.
A spokesman for the Dutch National Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in Eurove that Dutch police had not arrested Israeli citizens who went under the name “Yucal Urita” or “Yulita.”
“Israeli soldiers have not been arrested in the Netherlands for committing war crimes,” the spokesman added.
Belgian arrest
The same photo of a young woman being escorted by British police Viral Social Media Posts It once again called her an Israeli soldier named “Yukal Yurita.” The post said she was one of two Israelis arrested in Belgium in connection with a suspected war crime.
“Belgian police have arrested two Israeli terrorists in connection with allegations of war crimes related to the Gaza conflict,” the Post read. “The allegations include serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the use of human shields and unjust destruction, including evidence drawn from soldiers’ social media activities.”
Two members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) were actually taken into custody by Belgian police after complaints were filed by the Belgium-based NGOs Hind Rajab Foundation and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN). They allegedly members of the Gibati Brigade had committed serious war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
NGOs monitor social media platforms to track Israeli soldiers on vacation posting photos from overseas. In front of these is a footage of Gaza. Using these posts, the Hind Rajab Foundation is calling on host countries to arrest and prosecute them.
The soldiers were attending the Belgian dance music festival Tomorrowland.Confirmed. Here they were reportedly seen waving flags of their military forces.
However, the image of a young woman shared on the virus’s social media post does not show the Belgian arrest of these two soldiers.
The case was featured in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The International Criminal Court is currently investigating the possibility of a serious violation of humanitarian law in Palestinian territory,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The Hague court has issued three official arrest warrants related to the Israeli Gaza conflict since the attack on October 7th.
The arrest warrant is for Hamas military chief Mohamed Diab Ibrahim Al Masri, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Joab Gallant.
The Hind Rajab Foundation welcomed the decision to introduce the case to the ICC, saying it “confirms that the issue has reached the highest level of international attention.”
However, NGOs were critical of Belgium and argued that it should have gone further.
“In our view, the suspect should not only be arrested, but also be detained and charged in Belgium or handed over to the ICC,” the statement read. “Freeing individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity not only undermines the public’s trust in justice, but also strengthens a sense of immunity and allows those individuals to commit further abuse.”
