The Hind Rajab Foundation is Calling on Greek Authorities to Investigate Israeli Soldier Involved in Athens Altercation

Golani Seargent David Hadar Physically Agressed Palestinians in Athens

Athens – Sunday, September 14th 2025

The Hind Rajab Foundatioin has identified the Israeli individual who attacked Palestinian demonstrators in Syntagma Square, Athens, as David Hadar. Our research has also shown that he is a Sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Golani Brigade, a unit repeatedly implicated in war crimes in Gaza. The incident, which took place on 13 September 2025 in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, resulted in injuries and led to the arrest of all those involved. Mr. Hadar is now under arrest, and the Hind Rajab Foundation is today sending a formal letter to the Greek authorities, calling for a thorough investigation into his role in both the Athens attack and potential war crimes committed by the Golani Brigade.

In its letter, the Hind Rajab Foundation is stressing that Hadar, 29, is a Sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Golani Brigade, an infantry unit repeatedly implicated in war crimes during the ongoing war in Gaza. Given his role and rank, it is highly likely that he has served in Gaza as part of the Brigade’s operations.

The Golani Brigade has been implicated in numerous atrocities, including the livestreamed attack on Nasser Hospital in August 2025, which killed 22 Palestinians—including a child and five journalists—as well as the murder of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in March 2025. The Hind Rajab Foundation has already filed three legal complaints regarding crimes committed by this Brigade before international and national courts.

By submitting its letter, the Foundation is reminding Greece of its obligations under the Geneva Conventions to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute individuals suspected of war crimes who are present on its territory.

“We are calling on the Greek authorities to uphold their legal obligations under international law by opening an investigation into David Hadar’s potential involvement in war crimes,” says Dyab Abou Jahjah, Chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation. “The incident in Athens is not an isolated episode of violence—it reflects a broader pattern whereby individuals who have taken part in atrocities in Palestine are displaying the same aggressive behavior abroad." He added.

In March 2024, supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv assaulted a man carrying a Palestinian flag in Syntagma Square, Athens. In November 2024, in Amsterdam, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were documented ripping down Palestinian flags, chanting “death to Arabs,” and attacking Palestinians and Arabs in the city, before wider clashes broke out.

​These incidents demonstrate that individuals connected to Israel’s war in Gaza are carrying the same aggressive conduct abroad, turning European public spaces into extensions of that violence. It is therefore essential that the Greek authorities take decisive action in the case of David Hadar and uphold their obligations to investigate and hold accountable those implicated in war crimes.