A photograph taken amid the war in Gaza and the destruction in Khan Younis has prompted calls for a more extensive investigation into Jonathan Burman, a British national serving in the Israeli military. The photograph shows Burman posing in front of a burning school.
Burman was identified in a film produced for research purposes. Burman, who is described as a British national, studied in Manchester, then spent a year on a gap period in Israel before joining the Israeli military.
School in photograph located
The Israeli military confirmed that Burman served with the 55th Brigade of the reserve paratrooper units. The photograph was posted on Burman’s private Instagram account, with extensive destruction visible in the background.
Airwars, which works on transparency and civilian casualties, identified the building in the photograph as Al-Farabi School in the Bani Suheila area east of Khan Younis. The school was reportedly targeted by Israeli soldiers on December 12, 2023.
In a statement about an operation targeting a possible armed cell, the Israeli military referred to another school, which was located approximately 2 kilometers from Al-Farabi School.
Investigation into the unit
The Hind Rajab Foundation identified the military company in which Burman may have served. In its research, the foundation linked the unit to close-quarters fighting and the destruction of homes in Khan Younis.
Yuval Green, who previously served as a medic in the unit’s 66th Battalion, said some soldiers had been influenced by extremist religious beliefs. Green said these soldiers viewed the war as an opportunity to kill and displace Palestinians.
Calls for an investigation
Chris Sidoti, a member of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the findings presented warranted a more extensive investigation. Sidoti stressed that the evidence did not prove Burman’s guilt and called on the London Metropolitan Police to conduct an investigation.
Burman did not respond to requests for comment. An estimated 2,000 British-Israeli dual nationals served in the Israeli military during the war in Gaza.
The Metropolitan Police’s previous position
In April, the London Metropolitan Police said it would not investigate 10 British nationals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The police cited the lack of a realistic prospect of conviction and the difficulty of conducting an effective investigation.
The decision followed a dossier submitted to the police’s war crimes unit by Palestinian rights groups.
