The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a legal complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling for the arrest of Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during his visit to Brussels this week, the latest Israeli figure to be targeted with legal action by the pro-Palestine group.
Sa’ar is due to visit Belgium, a signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute, this week despite the group pursuing the FM for “war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023”.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, a Belgium-based rights group, is named after a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot dead by the Israeli army in Gaza in 2024 despite repeated pleas by the Palestine Red Crescent Society to save her life.
Since it was founded last year, it has taken legal action against a number of Israeli politicians and soldiers for alleged war crimes.
“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,” the Hind Rajab Foundation said in a statement.
“The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on Belgian authorities to ensure that Sa’ar does not evade justice while on European soil.”
The group argued that Sa’ar played a “central role” in shaping Israeli policy that led to the “mass displacement, collective punishment, and systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians”.
It also said that his public statements “indicate direct and indirect participation in these crimes, as well as incitement to violence and obstruction of international justice mechanisms” and make him liable for prosecution for war crimes.
Israel has killed an estimated 61,709 people in Gaza and forcibly displaced the vast majority of the population multiple times during the war.
The Hind Rajab Foundation says that the right-wing minister has also called for a “total blockade on Gaza, which has restricted food, water, and medical supplies”.
Sa’ar was appointed as foreign minister last November and leads the right-wing New Hope party, which broke away from Netanyahu’s Likud Party in 2020.
The Hind Rajab Foundation has taken legal action Israeli soldiers who have served in Gaza during visits abroad, with the Israeli military and government warning personnel about the dangers of being sued when travelling outside Israel.
