Exclusive: Albania asked to arrest chief rabbi over alleged war crimes in Gaza

Albanian authorities are being urged to arrest and try the country's chief rabbi for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed as part of Israel's genocide in Gaza, Middle East Eye can exclusively reveal.

On Wednesday, a case against Yoel Kaplan, an Israeli-American citizen, active Israeli soldier and head of Albania’s small Jewish community, was submitted to the prosecutor general in Tirana.

Kaplan divides his time between Israel, Albania and Thessaloniki, Greece, where he also leads a small Jewish community. He has been photographed in Gaza and videos show him in uniform with the 55th battalion of the Israeli army's 98th division.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), a UK-based rights group, said on Wednesday that it had “filed a formal notice to Albanian police regarding a member of the [Israeli army] suspected of participating in war crimes.”

“We have reason to believe that this individual is currently present within Albanian jurisdiction, and that domestic police must urgently investigate and arrest them,” the statement said. ICJP did not name the suspect for legal reasons.

Sources in Albania confirmed to Middle East Eye that the suspect is Kaplan. In March, the ICJP launched the Global 195 Coalition, an international legal network pursuing Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

The 98th Division operated in Gaza from around December 2023 until at least August 2024 and was believed to be active around Khan Younis, in the south of the Strip.