Gaza Genocide10 October, 20263 min read
Hind Rajab Foundation Files ICC Complaint Against Israel Medical Association Officials Over Sde Teiman Torture
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Hind Rajab Foundation filed ICC complaint accusing Israeli medical officials of torture at Sde Teiman. Complaint names Israel Medical Association, doctors, and Health and Defense ministry officials.
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ICC complaint over Sde Teiman
The Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Israel Medical Association, doctors and senior officials in the Health and Defense ministries, alleging "involvement in the torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman detention facility since October 7, 2023." The complaint alleges that medical personnel were required to treat detainees while they were handcuffed and blindfolded, and that restrictions were imposed on transferring them to civilian hospitals. The foundation said at least 29 detainees died at the facility by November 2025 as a result of physical violence or medical neglect, and it accused those allegedly involved of war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.
The complaint named Israel Medical Association President Professor Zion Hagay and CEO Leah Wapner among those it accused, and it said the submission is not an indictment and does not constitute a decision by the court to open an investigation into any of the individuals named. Israeli officials described the foundation's activities as part of a legal and public relations campaign aimed at deterring IDF soldiers from traveling abroad and exerting international pressure, and they argued that much of the material was based on publicly available social media posts presented in a biased manner.
Directive, restraints, and deaths
The Hind Rajab Foundation said a Health Ministry directive issued on Dec. 19, 2023 required medical personnel to treat detainees while they were handcuffed and blindfolded, and it argued the directive permitted forced medical treatment without adequate safeguards.
The foundation said medical staff were allegedly instructed not to disclose their names and to sign medical records using only their professional titles, and it argued those practices obscured individual responsibility and hindered documentation of injuries.
The complaint cited accounts describing leg amputations after injuries caused by shackling, and it said a doctor wrote to Israeli authorities in April 2024 that two detainees had undergone leg amputations within one week.
The complaint also cited medical workers who told the Associated Press they had witnessed surgeries performed without adequate pain relief, including an account describing an elderly detainee screaming and shaking during leg surgery.
The foundation said it had documented at least 29 detainees dying at Sde Teiman by November 2025 because of physical violence, medical neglect or both, and it accused the Israeli Medical Association of helping legitimize torture and mistreatment at the facility.
Pressure on medical bodies
The Hind Rajab Foundation said it submitted its request to the ICC prosecutor under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, and it framed the move as targeting a chain of responsibility extending from senior political officials to military commanders, medical professionals, and professional bodies. The foundation said it was preparing individual case files against Israeli doctors and medical professionals who also hold foreign citizenship, with the intention of filing complaints against them with prosecuting authorities in their countries of citizenship. The Times of Israel reported that the foundation said, "Today’s submission is only the beginning," and it added that it was preparing files on Israeli medical professionals with dual nationalities.
The Hind Rajab Foundation director-general Dyab Abou Jahjah criticized the participation of Israeli representatives in the Rotterdam conference, and he said the WMA must explain why it continues to host an organization that he claimed provided institutional backing for torture. The Israeli Medical Association said more than 5,000 doctors from 46 countries had signed a petition opposing efforts to remove it from the WMA, and it argued the campaign represented an attempt to bring politics into medicine and that the accusations included false or disputed claims.