Rights group urges US to arrest Israeli commander linked to Hind Rajab’s killing

A rights group has asked the US Justice Department to arrest and prosecute an Israeli military commander it links to the 2024 killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.

The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) said Sean Glass, who it said is in the US, commanded the “Vampire Empire” Company of the 52nd Armored Battalion, part of the 401st Armored Brigade.

“HRF’s investigation places him and his troops in the direct vicinity of Hind’s vehicle during the killing,” it said in a statement Monday. “Today, Glass walks free in the United States.”

The foundation accused Glass of war crimes and genocide under US law. It alleged that he “most likely gave the order to open fire” on the vehicle.

“The evidence in this file is damning and it is extensive,” said Natacha Bracq, HRF’s head of litigation. “We are calling on the US Department of Justice to open an investigation now.”

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib supported the request in a social media post.

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“As a party to the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, our government is obligated to arrest and investigate him for these war crimes and acts of genocide,” she wrote.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu’s request for comment.

Hind was killed Jan. 29, 2024, after the car carrying her and her relatives came under Israeli fire. Trapped among the bodies of family members, she pleaded for help in a call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

Two PRCS paramedics sent to rescue Hind — Yusuf Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun — were also killed. Their bodies, along with Hind’s, were found 12 days later.

The London-based research group Forensic Architecture found that 335 bullets were fired at the car and that there was no evidence of an exchange of fire.

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