Anti-Israel group files ICC complaint against Israeli doctors over alleged Sde Teiman abuse

The Hind Rajab Foundation, an anti-Israel organization based in Belgium, announced this week that it had filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against the Israel Medical Association (IMA), accusing senior Israeli medical officials of involvement in the alleged abuse of Hamas detainees at the Sde Teiman military base and detention camp located in the Negev Desert near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The complaint names IMA President Prof. Zion Hagay and CEO Leah Wapner among the senior officials it accuses of responsibility for the alleged abuses.

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) said it was “preparing files on Israeli medical professionals with dual nationalities who participated directly in Israel’s genocide in Gaza," adding, "We will bring each case before national prosecutors in every jurisdiction where these individuals hold citizenship.”

The foundation also claimed that “physicians, nurses, and paramedics who served at the field hospital, together with former detainees, have documented the abuses carried out within this system.”

It accused the IMA of “legitimizing the abuse and torture carried out at Sde Teiman,” claiming that at least 29 detainees held at the facility died as a result of medical neglect or physical violence.

HRF called on the ICC to “investigate a chain of responsibility extending from senior political officials who designed the policy and officials who issued binding directives, to the military commanders, medical professionals, and professional bodies that implemented or legitimized the system.”

Israeli authorities have previously investigated allegations of abuse at Sde Teiman. Several Israeli soldiers were arrested on suspicion of abusing a Hamas detainee, sparking protests and controversy in Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces has acknowledged that individual cases of misconduct can occur but has rejected allegations that detainees are systematically abused.

The military has said it “completely rejects accusations of systematic abuse of detainees,” adding that it “takes any… actions which contradict its values very seriously.”

“Specific complaints about inappropriate behavior by detention facility staff or insufficient conditions are forwarded for examination by the relevant authorities and are dealt with accordingly,” the IDF said. “In appropriate cases, disciplinary actions are taken against the staff members of the facility, and criminal investigations are opened.”

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) was established in 2024 and named after a Palestinian girl killed during the Gaza war, which began with the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. The Belgium-based organization pursues legal action against Israeli soldiers and officials over alleged violations of international law. It has also faced allegations of links to extremist movements and terrorist organizations.

Over the past two years, HRF has filed complaints against Israeli soldiers in multiple countries, including Sweden, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland and Cyprus.

In January 2025, the HRF filed a complaint in Sweden against a visiting Israeli soldier, accusing him of “war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”

Israel rejects allegations of genocide and deliberately targeting civilians, saying the IDF seeks to minimize civilian casualties while fighting Hamas and other terrorist groups that operate from civilian areas and infrastructure and use civilians as human shields.