ISTANBUL

Activists in New Zealand have launched a “genocide hotline” to track Israeli soldiers holidaying in the country.

“Israeli soldiers are holidaying in New Zealand,” the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa said in its campaign brief. “We need your help to track them down so we can let them know they are not welcome here.”

The network called the New Zealand government to suspend the soldiers’ visa in a newsletter last month, saying that Israelis visit the country without a visa “for ‘rest and recreation’ from the genocide in Gaza.”

The Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand Stephen Rainbow asked the network to take down the hotline.

"The primary concern is really around the precedent that this creates in terms of encouraging people to indulge in behaviours which could lead to some tragic consequences," Radio New Zealand quoted him as saying on Wednesday.

"While the target of this particular post might be one group, there could well be other groups who could be targeted in future and that is not helpful from a human rights perspective in terms of keeping people safe."

John Minto, the network’s national chairperson, however, said the service could not harm people.

“We've made it absolutely clear in everything we put out that this has nothing to do with the Jewish community. It's nothing to do with Israelis. It has to do with Israeli soldiers who are here on rest and recreation from a genocide in Gaza,” he said.

Numerous Israeli soldiers, who have allegedly committed war crimes in Gaza, have been identified and reported to the authorities of the countries they reside in by the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation.

Last month, Israel evacuated one of its soldiers from Sri Lanka moments before he was to be summoned in an investigation about alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

The non-profit has also sought the apprehension of Israeli soldiers visiting other countries such as Italy and Brazil.

Yuval Vagdani, an Israeli reservist, fled to Argentina from Brazil where he was holidaying after authorities pressed for an investigation on Jan. 3.

Meanwhile, a case against Israeli soldier Boaz Ben David was submitted to a Swedish court on Jan. 9.

Israel killed more than 47,000 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza, since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

The relentless bombardment has displaced most of Gaza’s population, led to shortages of food and other basic necessities and left much of the enclave in ruins. A ceasefire is currently in place since Jan. 19.