Pro-Palestinian NGO the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, seeking a warrant for his arrest, the group said on Sunday.
In a statement, HRF called for an arrest warrant for Sa’ar for “war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023.”
The complaint comes ahead of the foreign minister’s expected trip to Brussels next week.
While neither Israel nor the United States is party to the ICC, Belgium is.
“As Belgium is a signatory to the Rome Statute, it has a legal obligation to cooperate with the ICC and take action against individuals accused of serious international crimes,” HRF said. “The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on Belgian authorities to ensure that Sa’ar does not evade justice while on European soil.”
“Allowing a suspected war criminal to visit Brussels unchallenged would be a betrayal of international legal commitments and the fundamental principles of justice,” the group added.
The HRF is a pro-Palestinian NGO that says it is dedicated “to breaking the cycle of Israeli impunity and honoring the memory of Hind Rajab and all those who have perished in the Gaza genocide.”
Rajab was a 5-year-old girl who was killed by Israeli tank fire while in her family’s car in Gaza.
The group said Sa’ar played a “central role” in making and implementing policies that have led to “mass displacement, collective punishment, and systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians.”
“His public statements and policy endorsements indicate direct and indirect participation in these crimes, as well as incitement to violence and obstruction of international justice mechanisms,” the group said.
HRF said Sa’ar publicly advocated for “reducing Gaza’s territory” and endorsed Israel’s “total blockade on Gaza, which has restricted food, water, and medical supplies.” HRF’s complaint also pointed toward “co-perpetration” with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the ICC issued an arrest warrant, alongside former defense minister Yoav Gallant, in November last year.
The group has previously brought a lawsuit against a former Israeli soldier who was on vacation in Brazil, alleging he was responsible for war crimes while serving in Gaza. A Brazilian judge ordered police to investigate the soldier based on HRF’s complaint but he left the country.
That lawsuit was one of a series by the group, which has tracked the activities of hundreds of Israeli soldiers serving in Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry has since cautioned Israelis about social media posts related to their military service, saying “anti-Israeli elements may exploit these posts to initiate baseless legal proceedings against them.”