The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) is the legal arm of the March 30 Movement, a non-profit organization established in 2024 and based in Brussels, Belgium. The HRF's mission is to address and challenge what it describes as Israeli impunity concerning alleged war crimes and human rights violations in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The foundation is named in honor of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl from the Gaza Strip who was killed during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces, who also killed six members of her family and two paramedics coming to her rescue.^[1][2][3]

The foundation is headed by Dyab Abou Jahjah and Karim Hassoun.^[4] Abou Jahjah is a Belgian-Lebanese political activist and writer. He is the founder and former leader of the Arab European League (AEL), a Pan-Arabist movement that supports the interests of Muslim immigrants in Europe.^[5] Hassoun is a Belgian-Lebanese political activist who has served as the chair of the AEL since 2005.^[4]

In October 2024, HRF submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging the swift issuance of warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, holding them accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza, as well as against the entire 749 Combat Engineering battalion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).^[6] According to the organization's lawyer Haroon Raza, the group's goal is "to have everyone who is directly or indirectly responsible for war crimes and genocide in Gaza prosecuted and eventually behind bars".^[7] As of January 2025, the HRF has identified and submitted the names of 1,000 Israeli soldiers to the ICC, while also pursuing legal cases in several countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, France, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the UK.^[8]

In January 2025, the HRF filed a case against IDF soldier Yuval Vagdani, who was vacationing in Brazil at the time. The HRF accused him of demolishing a residential block in Gaza outside of combat.^[9][10][11]

Facing potential arrest, Vagdani fled to Argentina with help from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which facilitated his and his family’s “quick and secure exit from Brazil.”^[12][13] Subsequently, the HRF filed a legal case against him in Argentina.^[11] After successfully departing from Argentina and returning to Israel, Vagdani expressed his surprise, stating, “They turned it from one house into 500 pages; they thought I’d murdered thousands of children, and who knows what.”^[11] Foreign Minister Gideon Saar criticized Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, accusing him of antisemitism.^[14]

The HRF filed a legal case against Lieutenant Amit Nechmya, a platoon commander in the IDF' Givati Brigade's Rotem Battalion (435) in Argentina on 2 January 2025, accusing him and his platoon of using prisoners as human shields, looting, and forcibly displacing civilians in Gaza. Prior to this, Brazilian authorities had initiated actions against Nechmya following a complaint by the HRF. He reportedly fled Brazil to evade arrest.^[11]

In December 2024, the HRF filed a complaint with Chile’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, calling for the arrest of Saar Hirshoren, an Israeli soldier and member of the Israeli Combat Engineering Battalion allegedly involved in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza. The HRF argued that Chile’s commitment to the Rome Statute and its national laws obligates the country to prosecute such crimes. In response, the Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation. Hugo Gutiérrez, HRF’s legal advisor, emphasized Chile’s responsibility to act in accordance with international law.^[15] Local prosecutors cited video evidence from his Instagram account, showing him participating in the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, and “his role in the deliberate demolition of neighbourhoods, cultural sites, and essential facilities”.^[16]

In December 2024, the HRF formally requested Thai authorities detain Omri Nir, an Israeli soldier who they accused of committing war crimes, including destroying civilian homes in Gaza and using a school for military purposes.^[17]

In January 2025, the HRF filed a lawsuit in Sweden against Israeli soldier Boaz Ben David, a sniper from Battalion 932 of the Nahal Brigade, for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide during Israel’s war on Gaza. They accused him of directly targeting civilians, destroying homes, attacking medical facilities, and advocating for the mass killing and expulsion of Palestinians. Evidence included his social media posts, eyewitness testimonies, journalist reports, and UN documentation.^[18][19]

In December 2024, the HRF filed a complaint against Gal Ferenbook, an active-duty IDF soldier traveling in Sri Lanka, linking his social media posts to alleged war crimes in Gaza. The HRF notified the ICC and Interpol, and appealed to Sri Lankan authorities, demanding his arrest over the killing of a Palestinian civilian in Gaza. Following intervention by Israel authorities, Ferenbook left Sri Lanka.^[8]

In December 2024, the HRF filed a complaint with the Belgian government against Colonel Moshe Tetro, Israel’s incoming military attaché in Brussels, accusing him of responsibility for implementing a policy of starvation in Gaza, and of attacking hospitals.^[20][8]

In early 2025, following the announcement that a court in Brazil would investigate an Israeli soldier visiting the country at the time for war crimes, Abou Jahjah was threatened on X by Amichai Chikli, an Israeli government official. Chikli wrote "Hello, our human rights activist. Watch your pager", which Belgian media suggested was a reference to the 2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks.^[21][22] Israeli politician and opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the Israeli government after the IDF soldier was forced to flee Brazil to avoid arrest for fighting in Gaza. He called it a diplomatic failure, blaming weak international advocacy and lack of legal protections, which leave IDF soldiers fearing arrest abroad. Lapid urged a state inquiry and stronger public diplomacy to prevent such incidents.^[23]

In response to the HRF's efforts, the IDF announced that as of January 2025, it will no longer identify its forces by name in media.^[24]

• Simon Wiesenthal Center
• List of people indicted in the International Criminal Court

• Hind Rajab Foundation