The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has submitted new evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its ongoing case against Israeli Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, escalating its call for legal accountability over systematic war crimes committed in Gaza.

The expanded submission, which includes fresh legal analysis and an updated annex of documentation, builds on an initial complaint filed on February 8, 2025. HRF affirmed that Vach, a senior Israeli officer, is not merely a battlefield commander but “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most loyal and lethal asset in Gaza,” entrusted with executing a military campaign rooted in “openly genocidal policies against the Palestinian people.”

Chief of 'kill zone' in Netzarim Corridor

The original filing centered on Vach’s command of what HRF terms the “kill zone” in the Netzarim Corridor, an area reportedly marked by sniper activity and mobile units targeting civilians, particularly children.

Supported by powers of attorney from the families of two Palestinian children executed under Vach’s orders, the complaint included geolocated videos, intercepted communications, eyewitness accounts, and other corroborating evidence pointing to a pattern of extrajudicial killings.

HRF’s updated annex details further incidents, including the destruction of the Turkish–Palestinian Friendship Hospital on March 21, 2025, which HRF contends constitutes a violation of Article 8(2)(b)(ix) of the Rome Statute prohibiting attacks on medical facilities.

The complaint also cites the Tal al-Sultan massacre on March 23, 2025, during which 15 humanitarian workers, including UN staff, Palestinian Red Crescent members, and medics, were executed by forces under Vach’s command.

'Israel's first family of genocide'

Additional evidence links Vach to targeted killings at aid distribution sites in May and June 2025, where hundreds of civilians were reportedly shot while waiting for food. HRF asserted that these actions were not errors but deliberate, reflecting standing orders that treated civilians as enemy combatants. Statements attributed to Vach, such as “there are no innocents in Gaza,” are cited as indicative of intent to commit widespread and systematic violations.

The foundation also emphasized that Vach operated with full political protection from the highest levels of the Israeli government, stating that his actions align with Netanyahu’s strategic objectives and rhetoric.

Apples don't fall far from the tree

The case further implicates Vach’s brothers, Colonel Golan Vach and Captain Elishav Vach, revealing that they were also involved in similar operations. The three siblings are described as forming a “militarized faction” within the Israeli military establishment, with rights observers reportedly calling them “Israel’s first family of genocide.”

Based on this expanded body of evidence, HRF is urging the ICC to initiate proceedings and issue arrest warrants for all three Vach brothers under Articles 58 and 25 of the Rome Statute. The organization also calls on the court to formally recognize the actions of the accused as part of a broader state-sponsored policy of systematic attacks on Gaza’s civilian population, as defined under Article 7, and to consider these acts through the lens of genocidal intent per Article 6 of the Rome Statute.

In its concluding statement, HRF asserted that “Yehuda Vach is not just another war criminal, he is Benjamin Netanyahu’s executioner in Gaza.” The organization is actively compiling a comprehensive criminal dossier detailing “every name, every order, every victim,” and is preparing to submit related filings in various national jurisdictions.