Last year, HRF filed a complaint with the ICC against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a request for prosecution in the United States against Yuval Shatel, an Israeli soldier accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law during Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza.
The request, which outlines the evidence and criminal charges against Shatel, was submitted to both the US Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), HRF said in a statement on Thursday.
The #HindRajabFoundation filed a prosecution request in the U.S. under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2441, 371, and 1091 against Israeli soldier Yuval Shatel for war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Last seen in Texas 4 days ago. Now missing. The risk of flight is real.
More info… pic.twitter.com/HdaNdhpSwW
— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) April 17, 2025
It calls for Shatel’s immediate arrest and prosecution under US federal law for: “war crimes under 18 U.S.C. § 2441; conspiracy to commit war crimes under 18 U.S.C. § 371; and Genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide under 18 U.S.C. § 1091.”
Shatel was last seen in Texas four days ago, the statement said, adding that since then, “his whereabouts are unknown.”
Flight Risk
“There is clear and present risk of flight,” said Samuel Jacob Romm, the foundation’s representative in the United States.
“The evidence is overwhelming, the jurisdiction is clear, and the moral obligation is beyond dispute. U.S. authorities must act immediately,” Romm added.
This is our first filing in the United States, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg
Under the War Crimes Act, only the Attorney General or the Deputy AG can initiate a prosecution
We’ve given them all they need to initiate proceedings—justice demands that they move forward https://t.co/bIXqSS9Dgc
— Jake Romm (@jake_romm) April 17, 2025
Shatel served as a sergeant in the 435th Rotem Battalion, Givati Brigade, an elite Israeli military unit, according to HRF.
During his deployment in Gaza, Shatel “allegedly took part in the deliberate destruction of civilian homes, schools, and places of worship—acts prohibited by both U.S. and international law.”
Social Media Posts
The organization said publicly posted videos from Shatel’s own Instagram account show him detonating an apartment block in Khan Younis and celebrating its destruction.
“Other footage shows him involved in the demolition of the Tiberias Primary School and the Hassan Al-Banna Mosque—both protected civilian structures with no military use,” HRF noted.
A video posted on social media shows Israeli soldiers demolishing a Palestinian-owned house in Rafah, southern Gaza.
The soldiers can be heard laughing as the house is brought down. pic.twitter.com/BDtCw83A9r
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 4, 2025
The legal request included “video evidence of Shatel detonating civilian buildings, photographs of Shatel and other soldiers inside occupied civilian homes, social media posts celebrating acts of destruction and calling for revenge, and visual confirmation of collaboration with at least ten other soldiers from his unit.”
“These actions are presented not as battlefield engagements, but as deliberate, recorded, and celebratory operations designed to punish and terrorize the civilian population—behavior that constitutes grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and violates U.S. law,” HRF said.
Genocide Statute
The organization explained that although the crimes were committed in Gaza, US federal courts have jurisdiction because Shatel is present on US soil.
“Under the War Crimes Act and Genocide Statute, foreign nationals can be prosecuted in the United States if they are physically present in the country, regardless of where the crimes occurred,” HRF noted.
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It stressed that the US is also bound by its obligations under the Geneva Conventions to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches of the Conventions.
The organization called on US authorities to open a full criminal investigation, issue an arrest warrant without delay, locate and detain Shatel to prevent him from fleeing the country, and commence prosecution in a competent U.S. federal court.
‘Test of US Law’
“Justice must not depend on passports or politics. The presence of this suspect in the U.S. is a test of whether American law will rise to meet the challenge of international crimes,” said Dyab Abou Jahjah, Chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation.
“If we are serious about ending impunity, then it starts here—and it starts now,” Abou Jahjah added.
In October last year, HRF filed a complaint with the ICC against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza. Since then, it has consistently filed cases in various countries against Israeli soldiers who were identified in those countries, some while on vacation.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
