Hind Rajab Foundation files complaint against Israeli genocidal propagandist in US after Canada detention

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Brussels-based legal advocacy group, has filed an urgent request for prosecution against Israeli genocidal propagandist Guy Hochman in the United States, escalating its legal action after Hochman was detained and interrogated by Canadian authorities earlier this week.

In a statement published on Tuesday, the HRF said it had submitted the filing to the US Department of Justice earlier in the day, accompanied by an extensive evidentiary dossier documenting war crimes and direct public incitement to genocide linked to the Israeli regime’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. The filing came as Hochman was scheduled to perform in New York City later the same day.

The HRF said the seriousness of Hochman’s crimes was underscored a day earlier in Canada, where he was detained at Toronto Pearson International Airport and interrogated for approximately six hours following the submission of a complaint and the handover of the foundation’s investigative dossier to Canadian authorities. He was reportedly released only after intervention by the Israeli embassy.

According to the group, the US filing includes material that may constitute violations of international humanitarian law and US federal criminal statutes, including the War Crimes Act and the Genocide Statute. The foundation said its full investigative report on Hochman had now been made publicly available.

The dossier documents systematic and public incitement to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The foundation said Hochman had made statements calling for mass killing and extermination, advocating the use of nuclear weapons against Gaza, celebrating civilian deaths, and promoting starvation, displacement, and collective punishment. It also cites calls to destroy civilian infrastructure and religious sites, including statements that “not a single mosque will remain in Gaza.”

The foundation said the material also included statements in which Hochman had denied the existence of civilians or protected persons, asserting there were “no uninvolved” Palestinians. According to the foundation, these statements had been made both inside Gaza while Hochman was operating in connection with the Israeli army’s Spokesperson’s Unit and during public performances and online broadcasts abroad.

The dossier further documents Hochman’s public support for acts of sexual violence and torture against Palestinian detainees, the HRF said. In particular, the foundation cited statements in which Hochman had defended members of Force 100, an Israeli military unit whose forces raped a Palestinian prisoner on camera at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility in the occupied territories. The HRF said Hochman had portrayed the perpetrators as heroes.

Despite his detention in Canada, Hochman went on to perform publicly, the body said, describing the events as political agitation rather than comedy. The foundation noted that during his performance in Canada, one of his supporters was arrested following violent conduct outside the venue.

The HRF said it had warned US authorities that Hochman’s scheduled performance in New York posed an imminent risk of further criminal conduct, noting the presence of a large Palestinian-American community in the city. The foundation said it had also communicated its filing and dossier to the office of New York City Mayor Mamdani.

“Through these filings, HRF seeks not only accountability in this specific case, but to affirm a broader principle: stages, cultural venues, and cities must not be used to launder genocide, glorify war crimes, or incite violence,” the foundation said.

“The Hind Rajab Foundation does not chase comedians, and we do not oppose freedom of expression—even the absolute freedom to hold and express opinions we profoundly disagree with,” said HRF General Director Dyab Abou Jahjah. “What we are dealing with here is not comedy. It is genocidal propaganda and incitement to violence.”

Natacha Bracq, head of litigation at the HRF, said, “International criminal law draws a clear line between protected expression and criminal conduct. Direct and public incitement to genocide is a standalone crime.”

Jake Romm, the HRF’s representative in the United States, said, “Just like the broadcasts of Radio Rwanda in the 1990s, Guy Hochman’s rhetoric and performances represent a clear and direct incitement to genocide.”

The HRF was founded last year to pursue legal accountability for Israeli war crimes and human rights violations across the Palestinian territories, with a particular focus on the Gaza Strip.

The foundation is named after a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed along with six members of her family and two paramedics during an Israeli assault on Gaza.

In October last year, the HRF filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court seeking arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant, and members of the Israeli military’s Combat Engineering Battalion over war crimes in Gaza.

According to the HRF, it will continue to pursue all available legal avenues to ensure accountability for individuals inciting or committing atrocity crimes wherever they appear.

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