Group Asks ICC to Arrest ‘Israeli’ Rabbi Bragging About Gaza Crimes

By Staff, Agencies

The pro-Palestine advocacy group Hind Rajab Foundation [HRF] filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court [ICC], seeking “the immediate arrest of an “Israeli” rabbi bragging about his war crimes and crimes against humanity in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In an interview with “Israel’s” Channel 14 on Wednesday, Avraham Zarbiv, who served over 470 days in the “Israeli” Forces reserves, openly stressed that “Our method was to erase everything in front of us, next to us, and behind us” in Gaza.

“They’re returning to nowhere, tens of thousands of families, that no longer have papers, they have no childhood photos, or IDs,” Zarbiv proudly said, as his audience clapped when he was describing the level of destruction he wrought on the Palestinian enclave.

HRF emphasized that the “Israeli” rabbi’s crimes were well-documented through his own public admissions and video evidence.

Zarbiv “openly admitted to: destroying 50 buildings per week in Gaza, targeting private homes, schools, hospitals, and aid facilities, participating in the complete destruction of entire neighborhoods, such as Jabalia, Rafah, and other towns, and publicly inciting violence and hatred, including endorsing the killing of Palestinian civilians and the obliteration of their communities,” the rights group stressed.

In the interview, Zarbiv bragged about using a D9 bulldozer to deliberately demolish homes and destroy Gaza’s infrastructure, confirmed the Givati Brigade's systematic targeting of civilian areas, and, in video footage from February 7, 2024, was seen throwing grenades and firing at unarmed Palestinian civilians in Khan Yunis, all of which constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law, HRF added.

“The crimes attributed to Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and violations of the Rome Statute, including war crime of attacking civilians, extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity, and intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects,” the advocacy group further noted.

Addressing ICC, the pro-Palestine group stressed that Zarbiv must be swiftly apprehended and prosecuted, warning that his actions, along with the impunity that frequently protects those responsible for such crimes, must not be allowed to go unchallenged.