HRF Demands Accountability for Alleged War Crimes by Former Israeli Air Force Commanders Ahead of Jerusalem Post Conference in New York

New York, 29 May 2026 – Two former Israeli Air Force (IAF) commanders, Amir Eshel and Amikam Norkin, are set to attend the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York City tomorrow. Both Eshel and Norkin's tenures were marked by widespread criminality and mass atrocities against the Palestinian people.

At a time when the IAF is bombing civilians across Gaza and Lebanon, neither Norkin nor Eshel should be welcome in New York City, the United States, or anywhere except a courtroom.

HRF sent a letter today to New York City Mayor Zohran Mandani, urging him to reaffirm his support for international law and to forcefully repudiate the presence of both individuals in the city.

Under the War Crimes Act, the US Department of Justice can prosecute individuals accused of war crimes for actions committed anywhere in the world, at any time, regardless of the perpetrator’s nationality. The decision to prosecute, however, is discretionary. In other words, while the United States has the authority and ability to undertake these prosecutions, it has historically declined to do so for political reasons. The United States remains a site of impunity and complicity, but this is a choice. The law is clear; all that is lacking is political will.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is committed to fighting for accountability for these crimes and all others perpetrated by the Israeli military until the cycle of impunity is broken. Along with people of conscience around the world, we must demand that all states fulfill their international and domestic legal obligations and bring perpetrators like Eshel and Norkin to justice — nothing less is acceptable.

The following is a brief, non-exhaustive list of the crimes committed by Eshel and Norkin.

Allegations Against Amir Eshel

As Commander of the IAF from 2012 to 2017, Amir Eshel headed "Operation Protective Edge," a 51-day assault that killed 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and 551 children, injured 11,231 Palestinians, and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes. Until the outbreak of the present war in October 2023, Operation Protective Edge was the deadliest and most destructive Israeli military operation in Gaza for the civilian Palestinian population.

A significant amount of the death and destruction was caused by the IAF, which carried out over 6,000 airstrikes between 7 July and 26 August under Eshel’s command, many of which the UN Commission of Inquiry identified as indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population.

HRF previously filed against Ofer Winter, who commanded the Givati Brigade during Operation Protective Edge, for his role in the Black Friday massacres between 1-4 August.

In the letter, HRF cites, among others, specific incidents authorized under Eshel's tenure:

• The Al-Hajj Family Massacre: On 10 July 2014, an IAF airstrike obliterated the home of Mahmoud Al-Hajj in Khan Younis, killing all eight family members present, including two children.
• The Al-Najjar Family Massacre: On 26 July 2014, the IAF bombed the Al-Najjar home in Khan Younis, slaughtering 19 family members, including 11 children and an eight-month-old infant.
• The Balatah Family Massacre: On 29 July 2014, an airstrike on the Balatah family gathering in Jabaliya killed 11 people, including five children.

One witness to the bombing of the Balatah family's home told the UN Commission of Inquiry:

"There were no warnings, no calls and no messages. Where is the humanity? Where is justice? And where is the United Nations who is meant to protect peoples’ humanity?"

Allegations Against Amikam Norkin

Amikam Norkin, who succeeded Eshel as commander of the IAF in 2017, oversaw "Operation Guardian of the Walls," which was carried out in the Gaza Strip in May 2021. This operation resulted in the deaths of 128 Palestinian civilians and the destruction of thousands of homes in Gaza. Human Rights Watch investigations confirmed that IAF strikes under Norkin's command targeted civilian areas with no identifiable military objectives.

In the same letter, HRF highlights the following incidents under Norkin's command:

• Al-Shati Refugee Camp Strike: On 15 May 2021, an IAF missile destroyed a residential building, killing 10 civilians, including eight children. Forensic evidence confirms the use of an American-manufactured GBU-39 bomb. No military targets were found in the area.
• Al-Wahda Street Massacre: On 16 May 2021, a series of strikes collapsed three buildings, killing 44 civilians, including 32 women and children. No military targets were found in the area.

In a statement to HRW investigators, Abu Hattab explained the scene and the search for his family beneath the rubble of his home:

"I ran back towards the smoke and saw it was my house. It was all rubble. I felt like everything was revolving around me. I was in shock and I fainted. When I regained consciousness, I saw rescue workers looking for bodies under the rubble and recovering body parts. The attack had shredded the bodies. Other parts remained under the rubble because they could not find them. There were no militants in or near my house and no rockets or rocket launchers there. I still don’t know why they bombed my house and killed my wife and children and my sister and her children. What sin did they commit?"

Norkin authorized and facilitated these attacks, violating international laws protecting civilians and civilian objects. Like Eshel, he has faced zero consequences for his actions.

War crimes

These airstrikes constitute violations of the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Convention II (1899) Regulations and the U.S. War Crimes Act (18 USC §2441), in particular:

1. Willful Killing. Geneva Convention IV Article 147; 18 USC §2441(c)(1).
2. Willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health. Geneva Convention IV Article 147; 18 USC §2441(c)(1).
3. Extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. Geneva Convention IV Article 147; 18 USC §2441(c)(1).
4. The destruction or seizure of the enemy's property, not imperatively demanded by the necessities of war. The Hague Convention II (1899) Regulations: Art. 23(g); 18 USC §2441(c)(2).
5. Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended. The Hague Convention II (1899) Regulations: Art. 25; 18 USC §2441(c)(2).
6. Failure to take all steps to spare as far as possible edifices devoted to religion, art, science, and charity, hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not used at the same time for military purposes. The Hague Convention II (1899) Regulations: Art. 27; 18 USC §2441(c)(2).

As IAF commanders, Eshel and Norkin bear direct criminal responsibility for the crimes committed during their respective tenures. To date, neither Eshel nor Norkin, nor any other IAF pilot, has been brought to justice for war crimes committed against Palestinians.

The UN Commission of Inquiry’s words from 2014 unfortunately continue to ring true today: “Impunity prevails across the board for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law allegedly committed by Israeli forces.”

Statements from HRF

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

“While Amir Eshel and Amikam Norkin prepare to speak at a conference in New York, the ghosts of the families they destroyed watch in silence. We are not here to debate whether these men are war criminals. The blood of 551 children killed in 2014 and the rubble of the Al-Shati Camp in 2021 speak for themselves. Eshel and Norkin are the architects of atrocities, and their presence in the United States is a mockery of the very concept of international criminal justice.”

“The Mayor's Office must not stand silent while those accused of slaughtering entire families are treated as dignitaries.”

Jake Romm, US Representative of the Hind Rajab Foundation:

“The presence of Amir Eshel and Amikam Norkin in New York is not merely an affront to the victims of Gaza. It is a direct challenge to the rule of law. Under the U.S. War Crimes Act, jurisdiction is universal. The United States has the clear statutory authority to prosecute individuals for willful killing and extensive destruction of property, regardless of the perpetrators’ nationality or official capacity, and regardless of when and where the crimes were committed. ”

“We, along with people of conscience around the world, demand that all states fulfill their international and domestic legal obligations and bring perpetrators like Eshel and Norkin to justice—nothing less is acceptable.”