DaysofPal- In a new development that highlights the growing anxiety within the Israeli occupation over international legal accountability, the Hind Rajab Human Rights Foundation has become the target of a direct campaign led by the Israeli government.
This follows the foundation’s success in filing criminal cases against Israeli soldiers and officers accused of committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians, especially in the Gaza Strip.
This escalation comes amid mounting international pressure on Israel and an increase in legal proceedings in global courts, as the foundation works to present evidence indicting Israeli military leaders and officials for crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The foundation was named after the child Hind Rajab, who was martyred along with six members of her family in a massacre committed by Israeli occupation forces on January 29, 2024, when their car was bombed in southwest Gaza City. This atrocity was one of thousands of massacres that have led to the deaths of over 57,000 Palestinians during Israel’s recent aggression on Gaza.
According to official sources within the foundation, the Israeli government issued a sanctions list targeting fifty prominent individuals affiliated with the Hind Rajab Foundation, including its president Diab Abu Jahjah, two of its co-founders, and three senior lawyers.
These sanctions aim to pressure the foundation into halting its legal activities by freezing assets, imposing travel bans, and tightening restrictions on activists and legal professionals working with the organization.
In a statement, the foundation said that Israeli actions demonstrate its deep concern over the legal cases being prepared, adding that a coordinated media campaign is being planned to discredit the foundation and sow doubt about its credibility, particularly within certain Western circles.
Founded in February 2024 and based in Brussels, the Hind Rajab Foundation is one of the leading legal organizations working to collect evidence and file formal complaints against Israeli soldiers and officers in international courts. It accuses them of committing war crimes, genocide, and destruction of Palestinian infrastructure, particularly in Gaza.
In November 2024, the foundation submitted an official document to the International Criminal Court (ICC) requesting arrest warrants for 1,000 Israeli soldiers and officers, based on over 8,000 pieces of evidence documenting crimes committed since the start of the war on Gaza.
The foundation has also pursued Israeli soldiers during their stays in countries such as the Netherlands, the UAE, Brazil, and Sri Lanka, forcing Israel to secretly evacuate one soldier from Sri Lanka back to the occupied territories in December 2024 after a case was filed against him for killing and participating in systematic bombardments.
Ziad Al-Aloul, a member of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, said that Israel’s attempts to classify the foundation as a “terrorist organization” have no legal standing, affirming that the foundation operates within European legal frameworks and enjoys official support from several European nations.
Al-Aloul described the Hind Rajab Foundation as a strategic threat to Israel, noting that a file containing the names of 1,000 military officials represents a direct threat to their freedom of movement, limiting their ability to travel or take part in international events.
He also revealed that Israel has allocated a special budget to target the foundation and its staff, in a move reminiscent of the U.S. campaign against ICC employees.
Despite threats and sanctions, the Hind Rajab Foundation has affirmed its unwavering commitment to pursuing justice and exposing Israeli war crimes. The foundation emphasized that its strong popular and legal support in Europe and around the world is too vast for any entity to silence it.
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