Above photo: CNN.
Critical moment for justice.
Major General Ghassan Alian is responsible for administering the siege of Gaza, which Israeli officials have used to deliberately starve Palestinians.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based rights group, called on 13 January for Italian authorities to immediately arrest Israeli Major General Ghassan Alian for war crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
According to HRF, Alian is currently in Rome, making this a “critical moment for justice.” The group has filed cases with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Italian authorities, urging his immediate arrest under the Rome statute on charges of “genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.”
As the Head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Alian is responsible for administering the siege of Gaza, including cutting off the supply of water, food, and fuel just days after the war began.
On 10 October 2023, Alian said in an Arabic-language video message to the civilian population of Gaza that Israel was imposing a total blockade, “no electricity, no water, just damage.”
🚨🚨 Breaking: HRF Calls for Immediate Arrest of IDF Major General Ghassan Alian who is currently in Rome.
The #HindRajabFoundation (HRF) has filed cases with the ICC and informed Italian authorities demanding the immediate arrest of Major General Ghassan Alian, Head of COGAT,… pic.twitter.com/NMMi7yNsBZ
— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) January 13, 2025
“You wanted hell, you will get hell,” he further stated, making his intent to target Palestinian civilians clear.
“Alian, who publicly referred to Palestinians in Gaza as ‘human animals,’ has no immunity from prosecution. Time is of the essence to ensure accountability for his actions,” the HRF said in a statement on its website.
Alian, as the head of COGAT, is one the highest-ranking Druze members of the Israeli army.
The HRF is named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, who Israeli tank gunners murdered in January 2023, along with her four cousins, her aunt and uncle, and the two paramedics who came to her rescue.
The Israeli gunners opened fire on Hind after she pleaded over the phone for emergency workers to rescue her from a car riddled with bullets. Her body was found two weeks later, on 10 February, alongside the bodies of her family members in the car they drove to flee their neighborhood as Israeli forces invaded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant issued by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Gaza, including seeking to starve Palestinians to death by imposing a total blockade on the strip. The ICC also issued a warrant for former defense minister Yoav Gallant on the same charges.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on 9 January that his government would shield Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, from possible arrest on war crimes charges ahead of a visit to Poland this month to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) is working to hold Israeli soldiers accountable for war crimes committed in Gaza.
Founder @Aboujahjah explains how the organization uses evidence gathered from soldiers’ own social media to build cases against them. pic.twitter.com/a80EaNyeMA
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) January 13, 2025
Last week, the Israeli army issued fresh restrictions against media coverage of active-duty soldiers due to legal risks they face over war crimes in Gaza while traveling abroad, coming after a swarm of criminal complaints filed by pro-Palestine groups in courts worldwide.
The new rules stipulate that any media outlets interviewing soldiers with the rank of colonel will not be permitted to display their faces or full names, similar to the already existing rules for air force pilots and members of special forces units, Israeli army spokesman Nadav Shoshani told reporters on 8 January.