Ankara: The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a complaint with the US Justice Department, accusing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of committing war crimes against Palestinians, including US citizens, the organization said. The complaint urges an investigation into Ben-Gvir's alleged actions during his tenure.
According to Anadolu Agency, the foundation's statement accuses Ben-Gvir of implementing policies involving 'systematic torture, murder, abuse, and forced displacement' in the occupied Palestinian territories. These actions have reportedly been carried out through the Israeli Prison Service since Ben-Gvir took office in 2022, with a particular emphasis on worsening prison conditions for Palestinian detainees.
The foundation claims that Ben-Gvir has been instrumental in shaping policies across various Israeli security departments, including the Israeli police and the Israeli Firearms Licensing Department. It further alleges that these policies have been praised by some sections of the Israeli public, despite international criticism.
The statement highlights reports from numerous Palestinian and international rights groups describing the Israeli Prison Service under Ben-Gvir as a 'network of torture camps.' The alleged torture methods include starvation, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care, sexual violence, and electric shocks. The foundation's statement claims that at least 46 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons between October 2023 and August 2025 due to these conditions.
Additional allegations include routine sexual violence, such as forced public stripping, repeated strip searches, filming detainees while naked, assaults on genitals, and threats of rape against detainees and their families. The foundation asserts that Ben-Gvir has personally attended some incidents of torture and has documented his actions on video.
The foundation argues that these alleged war crimes constitute genocide and that Ben-Gvir's objective is to partially or fully destroy the Palestinian people through torture, abuse, and killings. It also recalls Ben-Gvir's past remarks about Lebanon, which the foundation considers genocidal, as evidence of his hostile intent.
The Hind Rajab Foundation calls for an immediate investigation, urging the US to prevent Ben-Gvir from leaving the country until the investigation is completed. It also emphasizes the need for the US to uphold its obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Ben-Gvir is expected to lead an official delegation to the Police Chiefs Summit at the UN headquarters in New York on July 7-8.