The HRF Files Urgent Complaint for Arrest of Another Israeli War Criminal in the Netherlands

First Lieutenant Assaf Aviram

The Hague, 18 September 2025 – The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a formal complaint and urgent request for the immediate arrest and prosecution of First Lieutenant Assaf Aviram, an officer of the Israeli army’s 601st Combat Engineering Battalion (401st Brigade). Aviram, who has been identified in Amsterdam, is accused of war crimes and genocide committed in the Gaza Strip between 2024 and 2025.

The complaint, submitted by HRF’s legal counsel Mr. Haroon Raza to the Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office (Landelijk Parket), follows HRF’s investigative report documenting Aviram’s role in the systematic destruction of the Jabalia refugee camp.

Individual Criminal Responsibility

Assaf Aviram served as platoon commander in the 601st Battalion, which was centrally involved in Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza—specifically the “Generals’ Plan” (late 2024–early 2025) and Operation Gideon’s Chariots (from May 2025).

HRF’s investigation demonstrates that Aviram personally commanded bulldozer and demolition teams that razed civilian neighborhoods in Jabalia. He also posted images and videos on social media glorifying his role in these operations.

The Work Of Assaf Aviram in Gaza

The complaint to Dutch authorities establishes that Aviram’s conduct constitutes at least:

• Genocide (Wet Internationale Misdrijven, Article 3; Rome Statute, Article 6), including “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.
• War crimes (Wet Internationale Misdrijven, Article 5; Rome Statute, Article 8), including:
  
• • Attacks directed against civilian objects;
  • Extensive and wanton destruction of property not justified by military necessity;
  • Bombardment of undefended towns and villages.

As platoon commander, Aviram is liable as indirect co-perpetrator (Article 25(3)(a), Rome Statute) or at least under the doctrine of command responsibility (Article 28(a), Rome Statute).

Legal Obligation of the Netherlands

The filing stresses that under Articles 49/50/129/146 of the Geneva Conventions, the Netherlands has a duty to search for, arrest, and prosecute individuals suspected of grave breaches when found on Dutch territory.

Furthermore, under Article 90 of the Dutch Constitution, the Netherlands has a constitutional obligation to promote the international legal order.

Precedent exists: on 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also determined that Israel’s actions in Gaza plausibly amount to genocide and confirmed that the occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law. And more recently the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel concluded that the State of Israel bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Given these rulings, Dutch authorities are not only empowered but legally bound to act.

The HRF’s Call to Action

The HRF urges the Dutch Public Prosecutor to:

1. Immediately arrest Assaf Aviram, currently present in Amsterdam.
2. Initiate criminal proceedings under the Wet Internationale Misdrijven.
3. Uphold the Netherlands’ obligations under international law to prevent impunity for war crimes and genocide.

The presence of Assaf Aviram on Dutch soil presents a clear test of the Netherlands’ commitment to international law and justice. HRF has provided detailed evidence and legal grounds establishing his involvement in war crimes and genocide.

The Hind Rajab Foundation reaffirms its mission to end Israeli impunity by pursuing perpetrators, accomplices, and enablers of grave international crimes in every jurisdiction where justice can be sought.