Hind Rajab Foundation files war crimes complaint in US against Israeli-American trooper

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) legal advocacy group has filed a complaint in a United States court seeking a criminal investigation into an Israeli-American trooper’s war crimes and genocidal acts committed during the Israeli regime’s war on Gaza.

The complaint was submitted on Wednesday, while Adi Karni, a former sergeant in the Israeli army’s 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion, was physically present in the United States, where he was scheduled to speak publicly at Boston University.

HRF said Karni’s presence on US soil “directly engages US jurisdiction” and triggers an obligation under federal law to investigate the allegations outlined in the filing.

The complaint invokes the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. §2441) and the Genocide Statute (18 U.S.C. §1091), which allow US courts to exercise jurisdiction over individuals present in the country who are credibly accused of committing international crimes abroad.

“Jurisdiction is not discretionary: presence activates responsibility,” HRF said.

According to the foundation, the filing is supported by an investigative report prepared in line with international evidentiary standards.

The report documents Karni’s involvement in controlled demolitions of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including the destruction of protected religious buildings such as mosques. It also cites widespread and systematic destruction carried out by his unit.

The report further references Karni’s post-deployment public statements, including assertions that “there are no civilians in Gaza,” which HRF says are relevant to assessing intent and patterns of dehumanization.

HRF said the conduct documented “may constitute war crimes” and, when assessed in context, contributes to the legal elements of crimes against humanity and genocide.

The US filing follows earlier complaints lodged by HRF in multiple countries. The foundation said a formal criminal investigation into Karni for genocide is already underway in Peru.

Additional filings have been made in other jurisdictions “to ensure that jurisdiction is activated wherever he travels,” HRF said.

The foundation also pointed to Karni’s continued international travel and public appearances, which it said include efforts to justify or normalize the destruction of Gaza.

HRF director Dyab Abou Jahjah said the case reflects a broader legal principle under international law.

“When an individual accused of genocide continues to travel and publicly justify those crimes, every state he enters has a legal obligation to act,” he said.

The foundation stressed that the complaint is based on documented evidence rather than political disagreement and described the filing as a test of whether US authorities will enforce domestic statutes in the face of credible allegations of international crimes.

HRF also referenced a separate filing submitted in January to the US Department of Justice seeking prosecution of former Israeli trooper and comedian Guy Hochman.

That request followed Hochman’s detention and questioning in Canada and included documented evidence of war crimes and public incitement to genocide, HRF said, describing the case as part of a broader international legal effort related to Gaza.

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