Israeli army sniper in Chile accused of Gaza war crimes could face justice

Rom Kovtun’s own social media posts reveal he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to ‘universal jurisdiction’ legal jeopardy.Published On 18 Feb 2026A Chilean court is considering a criminal complaint against a former Israeli army sniper who served in Gaza during Israel’s more than two-year-long genocide on the coastal enclave and the Palestinian people.Rom Kovtun’s own social media posts revealed he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to what legal experts call “universal jurisdiction”. Kovtun, an Israeli-Ukrainian, served as a sniper in Israel’s 424th Shaked Battalion in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gaza war docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab nominated for Academy Awardlist 2 of 4Palestinian women recount ‘journey of horror’ at Gaza’s Rafah crossinglist 3 of 4UN chief urges Gaza aid as Israel blocks most medical evacuees at Rafahlist 4 of 4Giant Hind Rajab portrait unveiled in Spain for anniversary of her killingend of listAl Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, said images posted online show Kovtun swimming in a lake in south-central Chile with other former Israeli soldiers.“His knack for posting leisure and wartime escapades on Instagram is what allowed the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) to file a criminal complaint in Chile, accusing him of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity,” she added.The Belgium-based HRF is named after a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024, and whose case drew global attention to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.The HRF has assembled a global team of lawyers and activists to build legal cases, drawing mainly on social media posts published by Israeli soldiers themselves.Universal jurisdictionChile’s domestic law incorporates the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Rome Statute, enabling courts to exercise universal jurisdiction in certain cases, Pablo Andres Araya, a lawyer with HRF, said.“This applies when it’s clear that the person accused of these crimes will not be tried in his or her country of origin,” Araya told Al Jazeera.