Belgian authorities announced on Monday that they had briefly held and questioned two Israeli citizens who recently attended an electronic music festival in the country, after pro-Palestinian groups accused them of war crimes.

Prosecutors said they received legal complaints alleging that two Israeli soldiers responsible for “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza were spotted at the Tomorrowland festival near the northern city of Antwerp last week.

The federal prosecutor’s office said it had “asked the police to locate the two people named in the complaint and to interview them.”

“Following these interviews, they were released,” it said in a statement.

The office said that it took action after concluding that Belgian courts have extraterritorial jurisdiction over alleged war crimes.

“No further information will be given at this stage of the investigation,” the office said.

The individuals have not been named.

Last week, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation, said it had identified two Israeli soldiers “responsible for grave international crimes” in Gaza among the crowds at Tomorrowland.

It claimed that a group of young Israeli men was seen at the festival waving a flag of the Givati Brigade, an Israeli military unit involved in the fighting in the Palestinian territory.

HRF said it then filed a complaint with prosecutors in association with the Global Legal Action Network, a lawyers group specializing in human rights violations.

On Monday, it praised prosecutors for following up on it.

“At a time when far too many governments remain silent, this action sends a clear message: credible evidence of international crimes must be met with legal response – not political indifference,” HRF said in a statement.

One of the world’s largest electronic music festivals, Tomorrowland draws music enthusiasts from all over the world.

Two Israelis questioned after attending Belgium’s Tomorrowland festival

The Tomorrowland festival went ahead last Friday despite a fire that destroyed the main stage

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Police have questioned two Israeli citizens attending Tomorrowland Festival over accusations of “war crimes” in Gaza.

According to reports from outlets including The Guardian, authorities in Belgium said that they briefly held two people from Israel and questioned them after they attended the electronic music festival last week.

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Their being brought in by authorities came after pro-Palestine groups spotted them at the music event and accused them of war crimes in Gaza.

Prosecutors claimed that they had been sent legal complaints which alleged that two soldiers behind “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza had been seen at the festival.

Their office then asked police to locate the two people and bring them in for questioning.

After the interviews, the two people were released, and the office clarified that it would be sharing “no further information” into the investigation at this stage. The two men brought in for questioning have not been named.

As shared by The Guardian, a Belgian pro-Palestine organisation called the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) came forward last week saying that it had identified two Israeli soldiers it accuses of being “responsible for grave international crimes” in Gaza, in attendance at Tomorrowland 2025.

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It also accused a group of Israeli men of waving a flag for the Givati Brigade – an Israeli military unit involved in the fighting in the Palestinian territory – at the festival, and filed a complaint with prosecutors. This move was made in association with a lawyers’ group that specialises in human rights violations called Global Legal Action Network.

Tomorrowland 2025 took place over the weekend, despite doubt surrounding the festival after it was ravaged by a fire that destroyed its main stage. The blaze took place on Wednesday (July 16), before the 70,000 festivalgoers arrived on the site, but around 1,000 employees were present at the time.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, and Tomorrowland announced that the festival would go ahead as planned – assembling an alternative main stage with help from Metallica.

Shortly after, it was reported that a 35-year-old woman had died after becoming unwell at the festival grounds on Friday night (July 18). Despite emergency services managing to resuscitate her, she later passed away in hospital.

Belgian authorities have said they briefly held and questioned two Israeli citizens who attended an electronic music festival last week, after pro-Palestinian groups accused them of war crimes.

Prosecutors said they had received legal complaints alleging that two Israeli soldiers responsible for “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza were spotted at the Tomorrowland festival near the northern city of Antwerp.

The federal prosecutor’s office said it had asked the police to locate the two people named in the complaint and to interview them. “Following these interviews, they were released,” it said in a statement.

The office said it had taken action after concluding that Belgian courts had extraterritorial jurisdiction over alleged war crimes. “No further information will be given at this stage of the investigation,” the office said.

The two Israelis have not been named.

Last week, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation, said it had identified two Israeli soldiers “responsible for grave international crimes” in Gaza among the crowds at Tomorrowland.

It claimed that a group of young Israeli men were seen at the festival waving a flag of the Givati Brigade, an Israeli military unit involved in the fighting in the Palestinian territory.

HRF said it had filed a complaint with prosecutors in association with the Global Legal Action Network, a lawyers’ group specialising in human rights violations.

One of the world’s largest electronic music festivals, Tomorrowland draws music enthusiasts from all over the world. About 400,000 people are expected to attend the event this year over two weekends.

BRUSSELS — The European Jewish Association sharply criticized Belgian authorities Monday after two Israeli army members were questioned over alleged war crimes in Gaza while attending the Tomorrowland music festival.

Calling the legal action “politically motivated,” the association defended the soldiers, saying they were “carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country,” comparable to soldiers serving in any democratic nation.

The questioning followed complaints filed by Belgium-based advocacy groups accusing the soldiers of serious violations of international humanitarian law. Belgian prosecutors said they acted under a new law that allows courts to investigate alleged crimes committed abroad under international treaties, including the Geneva Conventions.

Israeli officials confirmed the two—one soldier and one civilian—were briefly interrogated and later released, adding that they remain in contact with the individuals involved.

The case marks a controversial step in the global debate over accountability for actions during the Gaza conflict and comes as violence and casualties continue to mount in the region.