Calls for Immediate Arrest of Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, Described as the Most Brutal IDF War Criminal

“The HRF filed a case with the ICC requesting the issuing of an arrest warrant for one of the IDF's most notorious war criminals. The name of Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, commander of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) 252nd Division, has become synonymous with unrestrained brutality, sadism, and corruption. His deliberate and systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians, particularly in the Netzarim Corridor, amounts to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes under the Rome Statute.”

​The Cold-Blooded Murders of Yahya Al-Hilu and Muhammad Salouha

On September 21, 2024, in Al Nuseirat near the coast and Al Rashid Street, Vach's soldiers executed 15-year-old Yahya Akram Al-Hilu and 16-year-old Muhammad Amer Salouha. These two teenagers, merely searching for food, were ruthlessly gunned down:

• Muhammad was hit by seven bullets in the chest and abdomen, left to bleed out for hours before dying.
• Yahya tried to help Muhammad but was targeted by a shell and killed instantly.

Our Lawyer Mr. Haroon Raza is also representing family of the victims.

In a Haaretz investigation, one member of Vach's 252nd divsion testifies: “ One time, guards spotted someone approaching from the south. We responded as if it was a large militant raid. We took positions and just opened fire. I'm talking about dozens of bullets, maybe more. For about a minute or two, we just kept shooting at the body. People around me were shooting and laughing. But the incident didn't end there. "We approached the blood-covered body, photographed it, and took the phone. He was just a boy, maybe 16." An intelligence officer collected the items, and hours later, the fighters learned the boy wasn't a Hamas operative – but just a civilian.
"That evening, our battalion commander congratulated us for killing a terrorist, saying he hoped we'd kill ten more tomorrow," the fighter adds. "When someone pointed out he was unarmed and looked like a civilian, everyone shouted him down. The commander said: 'Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone's a terrorist.' This deeply troubled me – did I leave my home to sleep in a mouse-infested building for this? To shoot unarmed people?"

This incident is consistent with the testimony of witnesses and declaration of our plaintiff describing the murder of his cousin Muhammad Amer Salouha, who was 16 years old together with the plaintiff's brother Yahya who was 15.

Eyewitness accounts and documented reports confirm that these killings were part of a wider strategy of extermination orchestrated by Vach.

The Netzarim Corridor: A Death Trap

The Netzarim Corridor, established by the IDF, effectively bisected Gaza, creating a zone where every Palestinian was a target. This area, under Vach's direct command, became a free-fire zone where soldiers were ordered to shoot indiscriminately.
Multiple investigative reports from Haaretz and other media detail the horrific crimes committed under Vach’s orders. These include:

1. Designation of a "Kill Zone"

• A senior officer admitted: "Vach designated the area as a 'kill zone.' Anyone who enters is shot."
• Soldiers testified that "For the division, the kill zone extends as far as a sniper can see."

2. Indiscriminate Targeting of Civilians

• A recently discharged officer stated: "We're killing civilians who are then counted as terrorists."
• A veteran soldier recalled: "Anyone crossing the bridge into the [Netzarim] corridor gets a bullet in the head."
• Soldiers fired on unarmed individuals, including children and those waving white flags.

3. Genocidal Rhetoric from Yehuda Vach

• Vach declared: "There are no innocents in Gaza."
• He ordered troops to "flatten Gaza, halt all aid, and take as much land as possible."

Vach’s Orders: Ethnic Cleansing Disguised as Military Operations

Reports confirm that Vach orchestrated a systematic policy of massacres and forced displacement:

• Complete destruction of neighborhoods to make Gaza uninhabitable.
• Murder of civilians under the guise of counterterrorism.
• Torture and humiliation of Palestinian detainees.

The evidence leaves no doubt that Yehuda Vach must be prosecuted under the Rome Statute for:

1. Genocide (Article 6)

• Killing members of a national group – Systematic executions of Palestinian civilians.
• Inflicting conditions designed to destroy the group – Starvation, forced displacement, and targeted assassinations.

2. Crimes Against Humanity (Article 7)

• Murder and extermination – Execution-style killings and indiscriminate bombings.
• Deportation or forcible transfer – Forcing thousands to flee under the threat of death.
• Persecution – Labeling all Palestinians as "terrorists" and justifying their slaughter.

3. War Crimes (Article 8)

• Willful killing and inhumane treatment – Executions, torture, and abuse of detainees.
• Targeting civilians and extensive destruction of property – Reducing Gaza to rubble.

The Oskar Dirlewanger of the IDF

The parallels between Yehuda Vach and Oskar Dirlewanger, the Nazi commander infamous for mass murder and ethnic cleansing, are undeniable. Like Dirlewanger, Vach has led his forces with a doctrine of absolute brutality, reveling in the suffering of civilians.

The Hind Rajab Foundation demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of Yehuda Vach.

We call upon:

• The International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant immediately.
• Interpol and national jurisdictions to enforce universal jurisdiction laws and apprehend Vach wherever he travels.
• Governments and international organizations to impose sanctions and prosecute all individuals complicit in these crimes.

Justice for Yahya, Muhammad, and all Palestinian victims of this genocide is non-negotiable.    

The Hind Rajab Foundation will continue to gather evidence, file legal complaints, and pursue every available avenue to ensure that the families of the victims are heard and that justice is served.  War criminals like Yehuda Vach must be held accountable.