The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Israelis—a civilian and an IDF soldier—were detained briefly by Belgian authorities while on vacation and questioned before being released. The incident, which occurred during a music festival, stemmed from allegations leveled by an anti-Israel group, prompting a response from Israeli officials.

“The Foreign Ministry and the IDF handled the matter and are in contact with the two,” the ministry said in a statement, declining to provide further details on the cause of the detention.

According to Belgium’s public broadcaster RTBF, citing the federal prosecutor’s office, the two Israelis were questioned after the Hind Rajab Foundation, an anti-Israel organization, filed a complaint accusing them of “grave international crimes, including war crimes and genocide” in the Gaza Strip. The report noted that Belgian police acted under a 2024 amendment to the Belgian Code of Criminal Procedure, which granted authorities jurisdiction to pursue such allegations.

The men were detained, questioned, and subsequently released, RTBF reported. The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not comment on the specifics of the allegations or the status of any ongoing investigations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)