Germany: Hind Rajab Foundation Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Senior Federal Public Prosecutor for Shielding German Citizen Shimon Zuckerman from Genocide Charges

Stuttgart/Brussels, 12 May 2026 — Yesterday, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) escalated its legal action against impunity by filing a disciplinary complaint against a German Senior Federal Public Prosecutor to the Federal Public Prosecutor General and the Federal Court of Justice. This action follows the unjustified dismissal of a criminal complaint filed by HRF in June 2025 against Shimon Avichai Zuckerman, a dual Israeli-German national, for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. HRF also filed an appeal against the decision and submitted a new 164-page investigative report detailing his specific criminal conduct.

The dismissal represents a deliberate act of state complicity. Zuckerman is not merely a suspect; he is a German citizen who is fully aware of his alleged crimes and has openly called upon the Israeli state to shield him from prosecution. By accepting his claims without independent verification and refusing to initiate an investigation, German authorities are effectively acting as an extension of that shield. Germany is not just failing to act. It is complicit in the genocide by continuing its long-standing policy of defending Israel and its perpetrators, thereby creating a safe haven for German nationals accused of the most serious international crimes.

Shimon Zuckerman, a German national accused of erasing entire villages, now tours the world as a travel blogger. His 'adventures' are built on the bones of the Palestinian people.

From Netzarim to Khuza'a: Zuckerman's Systematic Destruction of Gaza

Shimon Avichai Zuckerman, a member of the 8219th Battalion of the Israel army, is a confirmed German citizen. HRF possesses and has presented irrefutable official documentation proving his nationality. Under Section 1 of Germany's Code of Crimes against International Law (VStGB), the German state has a mandatory, non-discretionary duty to investigate and prosecute its own citizens for international crimes committed anywhere in the world.

Despite this clear legal mandate, the German Federal Public Prosecutor dismissed the case on 8 April 2026. The decision was based on Zuckerman's statement to the Washington Post, in which he admitted to participating in acts of destruction in Ga but claimed it was lawful. It was also based on speculative legal assessments, particularly regarding whether the destruction of the entire village of Khuza’a was lawful under international humanitarian law.

Zuckerman's behavior demonstrates a clear awareness of his criminal liability. He is actively leveraging his dual nationality and political connections, specifically requesting protection from the Israeli state to evade justice. Zuckerman personally documented his involvement in the demolition of Gaza through multiple video montages, posted on social media, showing him preparing explosive charges, counting down to detonations, and proudly observing the destruction of buildings he had rigged. In these videos, he tagged himself and explicitly bragged about his participation to third parties and media outlets. The specific acts of destruction attributed to Zuckerman include:

• The Netzarim Corridor area, alongside Al-Rashid Street (Nov–Dec 2023);
• Sheikh Ajlin and Tel Al Hawa neighborhoods in Gaza City (Nov 2023);
• Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City (Dec 2023);
• The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor building in Gaza City;
• Khuza'a, during Operation Oz and Nir (Dec 2023–Jan 2024), resulting in the total obliteration of the village;
• Khan Younis (Jan 2024).

Germany's Abdication of Justice and Complicity in Genocide

The Federal Public Prosecutor's decision to close the case without investigation violates the principle of legality (Legalitätsprinzip) and the principle of official investigation (Offizialmaxime). By accepting a suspect's self-serving narrative as the basis for dismissal, the Prosecutor has abdicated the state's duty to uncover the truth and transformed the Federal Prosecutor's office from a guardian of justice into a shield for genocide.

The alleged acts engage the gravest provisions of the VStGB:

• Genocide (Section 6(1)(3) VStGB): Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian group.
• Crimes Against Humanity (Section 7(1)(2) VStGB): Systematic attacks against a civilian population.
• War Crimes (Sections 9(1) & 11(1)(3) VStGB): Indiscriminate destruction and disproportionate attacks.

Germany's failure to prosecute Zuckerman is not an isolated procedural and legal error. It is a systemic failure that enables the continuation of the genocide. By protecting a German citizen accused of erasing residential buildings and a Palestinian village, Germany is complicit in the very crimes it claims to oppose. This complicity represents the continuation of a decades-long policy of defending Israel and its crimes, now extending to shielding individual German perpetrators.

The German state is choosing diplomatic convenience over its constitutional and international obligations, becoming an accessory to the crimes committed by its own citizens.

Statements from HRF

Dyab Abou Jahjah, General Director of the Hind Rajab Foundation:

“The Federal Prosecutor has reduced the German legal system to a farce by accepting the unverified claims of a suspect accused of genocide. Zuckerman is a German citizen, who is openly calling for protection from the Israeli state, and Germany is complying. This is not justice. It is state-sponsored impunity. We demand the immediate opening of an investigation and the issuance of an arrest warrant. Germany must stop shielding its citizens from the consequences of their crimes.”

Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation at the Hind Rajab Foundation:

“We have proof of Zuckerman's German nationality. We have evidence of his crimes. The Federal Prosecutor's refusal to act is a political decision to prioritize the protection of a German citizen over the lives of Palestinians. This is a breach of the most fundamental duties of the German state. We are filing criminal complaints against Zuckerman and his unit again in Germany and across the globe. They will not get away with this. Germany must choose: stand with the law, or stand with the perpetrators.”

The Path Forward: Global Accountability

HRF has issued the following demands:

• Immediate Criminal Investigation: Open proceedings against Zuckerman under Sections 6, 7, 9, and 11 of the VStGB.
• Arrest Warrant: Issue a warrant immediately.
• Disciplinary Sanctions: Investigate the Senior Public Prosecutor who dismissed the complaint for breach of official duties.

HRF will continue to file criminal complaints against Zuckerman and members of the 8219th Battalion in every jurisdiction worldwide where they may be found.

The Hind Rajab Foundation has already filed over 90 complaints in 30 jurisdictions. We will continue this relentless pursuit of justice.

Zuckerman and his unit believe they are untouchable. They are wrong. No amount of diplomatic shielding or legal obfuscation will save them from the inevitable judgment of history and the law. Germany must not be complicit in these crimes. The era of impunity ends now.