War crimes complaint filed in Sri Lanka against Israeli-American soldier

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Jake Burkons, a dual Israeli-American citizen from Texas, is reportedly in Sri Lanka after a deployment to Gaza - HRF

Brussels-based rights group targets dual national over alleged Gaza demolitions

COLOMBO – The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a formal war crimes complaint with Sri Lankan authorities against Jake Burkons, a dual Israeli-American citizen from Texas, following his arrival in the country after a deployment to Gaza, the Brussels-based organization announced on Friday (17).

Burkons served in Company D of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion, part of the Israeli army’s 7th Armoured Brigade. He voluntarily enlisted following the events of  October 7,  2023 and was subsequently deployed to Gaza. HRF investigators say they have linked him to at least one incident of unlawful destruction in Khan Younis in October–November 2025.

The foundation says Burkons himself posted photographs and video footage on social media showing his presence in Gaza, including images of him holding a detonation cable inside a destroyed civilian building alongside fellow soldiers and footage of a controlled demolition geotagged to Khan Younis bearing his company’s insignia.

HRF has documented at least 65 controlled demolitions carried out by the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion between October 2023 and mid-2025, targeting residential buildings, mosques, agricultural land, and industrial facilities. The unit has also been implicated in attacks on hospitals and the unlawful detention and mistreatment of civilians.

The foundation characterized the demolitions as incompatible with active combat, arguing that such operations, which require prior entry into buildings, placement of explosives, and a controlled withdrawal, indicate a lack of immediate military necessity, and therefore constitute unlawful destruction under international humanitarian law.

The complaint urges Sri Lankan authorities to act under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which obliges states to investigate and, where warranted, prosecute individuals suspected of grave breaches of international humanitarian law found on their territory, regardless of where the alleged crimes were committed.

Sri Lanka is among more than a dozen countries where HRF has sought to initiate cases against Israeli soldiers, a campaign the organization says is grounded in the evidentiary trail left by soldiers’ own social media posts.

The legal action against Burkons is part of a broader pattern of prosecutions HRF has pursued internationally. As of early 2026, the foundation had filed complaints in countries including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, and the UK.

Sri Lanka has no extradition treaty with Israel, and it remains unclear whether authorities will move to detain or question Burkons. HRF said it would continue to monitor the situation and work with local legal partners to advance the case.

The Israeli government has previously assisted soldiers facing legal jeopardy abroad. Following a war crimes complaint filed in Brazil in early 2025, the Israeli Foreign Ministry facilitated the swift departure of the soldier named in that case.

HRF described the filing in Sri Lanka as part of a sustained accountability campaign. “Accountability is not optional. It is a legal obligation,” the organization said in a statement.

-ENCL

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