Rights Group Files War Crimes Complaints against Israeli Soldiers in ICC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, has launched legal proceedings in multiple jurisdictions accusing Israeli soldiers of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza.
The HRF announced on Wednesday that it had filed legal complaints against Dror Zvi Bauer, a member of the Israeli military’s 614th Battalion, Engineering Corps, in Germany, Australia, and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The organization said that Bauer, currently in Europe, committed these crimes during Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which began in October and has claimed over 47,000 Palestinian lives, the majority of them women and children.
According to a statement on the group’s website, there is substantial evidence implicating Bauer in “the arbitrary and internationally unlawful destruction of civilian facilities in Gaza, including private homes, hospitals, schools, and aid facilities.”
The HRF further accuses Bauer of inciting violence against Palestinians online, stating that he supported the killing of civilians and the destruction of their homes in video messages. The organization highlighted a particularly incendiary remark from Bauer, saying that he stated, “There were no uninvolved civilians in Gaza,” effectively dehumanizing women, children, and the elderly.
Earlier this month, HRF head Dyab Abou Jahjah reaffirmed his determination to seek justice despite a death threat from an Israeli minister following the foundation’s global legal campaigns.
On January 6, the group filed a lawsuit in Argentina against Yuval Vagdani, an Israeli soldier accused of war crimes in Gaza, who reportedly fled Brazil after similar charges were brought against him there.
Later, on January 19, the foundation lodged another complaint in Barcelona, Spain, against Mori Keisar, identified as “Sergeant A” of the Givati Brigade. The HRF accused him of systematic violations of international humanitarian law, including targeting civilians and protected infrastructure in Gaza.
“The actions of Sergeant A and his platoon demonstrate a pattern of international humanitarian law breaches, deliberately targeting civilians and essential facilities,” the organization stated.