HIND RAJAB FOUNDATION: The NGO Holding Israeli Soldiers to Account

By Ml Luqman Skink, INX Prime News and Current Affairs Editor

January 14 2025

As the Israeli government and Hamas closes in on a deal for a Gaza ceasefire, the Israeli occupation army has continued its ferocious onslaught on the people of Gaza.

The Doha ceasefire negotiations facilitated by Egypt, Qatar and the USA seek to bring an end to the carnage that has dragged on for 16 months and resulted in the deaths of more than 46,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

In overnight raids, the Israeli Occupying Force added to the death toll by killing 12 Palestinians in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, eight more in Dier el-Balah in the centre, and four others in Gaza city in the north, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Incoming US President, Donald Trump said he believed a deal is very close and could be finalised by the end of this week. Trump famously warned there would be ”hell to pay” if the remaining Israeli hostages are not returned by the time he is sworn in as the 47th US President on January 20.

PRESSURE FOR A DEAL AT HOME AND ABROAD

Demonstrators protest in Tel Aviv to call for action to secure the release of Israelis hostages.

Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP

The scramble for a deal comes as thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in weekly anti-government protests to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire and a deal to return the remaining hostages still in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has vowed to resign in protest and has urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to do likewise if a ceasefire deal in Gaza is realised.

“The deal that is taking shape is a surrender deal for Hamas … Therefore, I call on my friend Bezalel Smotrich to join me and cooperate in working against the deal,” Ben-Gvir said.

GAZA AFTER 16 MONTHS OF SUSTAINED IDF ATTACKS

The last photo of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, before he was abducted and detained by the IDF after refusing to abandon his colleagues and patients on December 27, 2024.

Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP

Medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says after more than a year of war, all the components of a society have been destroyed in Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes and ground operations ravaged the enclave, destroying essential infrastructure and everyday life for Palestinians.

The UN agency coordinating humanitarian relief (OCHA) estimates that about 90% of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced at least once during the war.

Israeli military operations damaged or destroyed nearly 60% of buildings in Gaza, with an estimated 227,591 housing units damaged or destroyed, along with 68% of Gaza’s road network.

According to the World Health Organization, only 16 of 36 hospitals in Gaza remain partially functional, and most lack the capacity to treat chronic diseases and complex injuries.

In September last year, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that he’s ”never seen such a level of death and destruction as we are seeing in Gaza in the last few months.”

Despite Israel’s horrendous onslaught, it has lost a great deal of prestige due to its loss of troops and equipment on the ground, it has also proved itself to be a criminal state in the eyes of billions.

THE HIND RAJAB FOUNDATION

The Hind Rajab Foundation pursues Israeli Soldiers for War Crimes.

Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP

The Gaza genocide has led to many countries recognising the state of Palestine and an increase in the number of cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.

Israel’s image has become quite dim in the entire world and its citizens who have served in the IDF face the growing risk of arrest abroad.

Launched in September 2024, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) “focus[es] on research, documentation, and the collection of evidence on war crimes and human rights violations.”

HRF “actively pursues legal action against those responsible for these atrocities, including perpetrators, accomplices, and inciters of violence against Palestinians. Through offensive litigation, the Foundation aims to hold these actors accountable in both international and national courts, challenging the culture of impunity that has allowed such crimes to persist.”

By January 2025, the HRF filed complaints against Israeli soldiers in Ecuador, Belgium, UAE, Brazil, Argentina, Sri Lanka, France, Netherlands, Cyprus, Thailand, and the UK.

THE NET CLOSES IN ON IDF SERVICEMEN AROUND THE WORLD

Israeli soldiers walk by military excavators positioned near Israel’s southern border with Gaza.

Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP

A Brazilian court took action against an Israeli soldier on vacation in Brazil and issued an urgent order for police intervention against the suspect. Following the Brazilian government opening an investigation, the soldier was forced to flee to Argentina.

Another senior Israeli general has been identified by the Hind Rajab Foundation for possible arrest while on holiday with his family in Rome. Major General Ghassan Alian is the head of Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories known as COGAT. He oversaw the total blockade of Gaza, weaponizing famine and targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, in acts amounting to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestine territories, called for prompt actions from Italian authorities.

“Hopefully, the global legal community will become better organized, enabling swift information-sharing with authorities. This will ensure that individuals suspected of int’l crimes on their territories are taken very seriously,” she said on X.

The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for similar crimes against Israeli officials, and Alian directly supervised these policies.