HRF identifies US-based commander of ‘Israeli’ military unit that killed Hind Rajab

• The Hind Rajab Foundation says it has asked the US Department of Justice to investigate and arrest Sean Glass, a former ‘Israeli’ military company commander accused of war crimes and genocide.
• The organization says Glass commanded the unit operating near the vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and members of her family when they were killed in Gaza in January 2024.
• The foundation cites Glass’s public statements, social media posts and published book as evidence of his alleged role in the destruction of hospitals, UN facilities and residential neighbourhoods across the Palestinian territory.

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) said Monday it had submitted an urgent request to the US Department of Justice seeking the investigation, arrest and prosecution of Sean Glass, an ‘Israeli’ military commander whom the organization accuses of war crimes and genocide during Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement dated Oct. 19, the Brussels-based foundation said Glass, who commanded the so-called “Vampire Empire” Company of the 52nd Armored Battalion in the ‘Israeli’ military’s 401st Armored Brigade, was currently in the United States. It called on US authorities to pursue the case under federal laws covering war crimes and genocide.

The allegations include unlawful killings, torture, inhuman treatment, unlawful transfer and the extensive destruction of property without military necessity. 

The foundation’s allegations centre in part on the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by ‘Israeli’ forces in Gaza in January 2024 alongside members of her family and two Palestinian Red Crescent medics who had been dispatched to rescue them.

According to HRF, its investigation found that the 52nd Battalion was the only ‘Israeli’ armored unit operating in the area at the time, and that Glass’s company was positioned within a few hundred metres of the family’s vehicle throughout the period in which the killings occurred.

The organization says that Glass most likely gave the order to open fire. It says its case draws on geolocated imagery, forensic analysis and material published by Glass himself. The allegations concerning his individual responsibility for the deaths have not been adjudicated by a court.

Foundation cites commander’s public statements

HRF said its submission also details Glass’s alleged role in military operations that damaged or destroyed major civilian infrastructure across Gaza, including Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters, residential areas in Gaza City and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

The foundation cited public statements in which Glass described the destruction carried out by his company and expressed a desire to resume fighting after a ceasefire.

In a post marking seven years in the military, Glass reportedly described Al-Shifa as a “terror nest” and published satellite images comparing the medical complex before and after the destruction. In a farewell address to his company, he allegedly said his troops had destroyed every part of the areas they had been ordered to enter, while referring to the displacement of residents from the Zeitoun neighbourhood.

HRF also cited remarks in which Glass reportedly pledged to return to combat and finish the military campaign. The foundation argues that these statements, alongside its forensic material, warrant a criminal investigation into his potential responsibility for alleged crimes committed in Gaza.

The destruction of medical facilities, civilian infrastructure and residential areas has been a central feature of the devastation inflicted on Gaza during the war. However, establishing individual criminal responsibility requires an assessment of the evidence, the circumstances of specific operations and the applicable law.

Legal action extends beyond the United States

Monday’s request is part of a wider effort by the Hind Rajab Foundation to pursue legal action against ‘Israeli’ military personnel accused of crimes in Gaza.

The organization said it had previously submitted material concerning Glass and other soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as filed criminal complaints involving members of his unit with judicial authorities in other countries.

Jake Romm, the foundation’s representative in the United States, said the filing presented an opportunity for Washington to demonstrate whether its stated commitment to accountability for alleged war crimes would be applied in this case.

Natacha Bracq, HRF’s head of litigation, said the organization had compiled geolocated imagery, forensic analysis and the commander’s own public statements, and called on the Justice Department to open an investigation.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, the foundation’s director general, described Glass as the commander who, in HRF’s assessment, most likely ordered the shooting of the vehicle carrying Hind and her relatives.

The foundation said it would continue pursuing cases through national courts and international legal institutions, arguing that individuals suspected of serious crimes should not be able to travel freely without scrutiny of the allegations against them.