HRF Files Criminal Complaint in Slovenia Against Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar Ahead of Visit to Open Israeli Embassy in Ljubljana

7 September 2026, Brussels, Belgium / Ljubljana, Slovenia – The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint before the Ljubljana District Prosecutor’s Office and the Police against Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel and member of the Security Cabinet, for his alleged responsibility in war crimes, acts of genocide, and torture committed during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The complaint is based on HRF’s investigative report documenting Sa’ar’s role in formulating and publicly defending policies that led to Israel’s systematic attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza.

Sa’ar is expected to attend the opening of a new Israeli embassy in Ljubljana on 9 and 10 September 2026. HRF was informed of his presence by a Slovenian social initiative and solidarity group that supports the Palestinian struggle, Gibanje za pravice Palestincev (Movement for the Rights of Palestinians).

Gideon Sa’ar

Gideon Sa’ar has held several senior offices throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He has served as Minister without Portfolio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and consistently as a member of Israel’s Security Cabinet – the inner cabinet responsible for decisions on and overseeing the conduct of military operations in Gaza. In this capacity, he has played a key role in formulating, approving, and publicly defending the policies described in the filing.

Documented Allegations

Evidence collected by HRF indicates that Gideon Sa’ar may be held criminally responsible for:

• The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza between 8 October and 27 December 2024;
• The arrest of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, the hospital’s director, on 27 December 2024, and his continuing arbitrary detention and torture;
• The unlawful occupation and destruction of the Gaza Strip and the mass displacement of its civilian population; and
• The engineering of a humanitarian crisis through the imposition of a blockade on food, water, fuel, and medical supplies.

The complaint invokes Slovenia’s jurisdiction over international crimes under the Slovenian Criminal Code, the Fourth Geneva Convention, Additional Protocol I, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the UN Convention against Torture. 

Allegations include:

• Willful killing;
• Torture or inhuman treatment;
• Extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity;
• Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects;
• Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and medical units;
• Using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare;

Additionally, the actions attributed to Sa’ar may constitute torture, under the Slovenian Criminal Code and the UN Convention against Torture, and acts of genocide, including killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and the deliberate infliction on the Palestinian group in Gaza of conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part — pursuant to the Slovenian Criminal Code, Article 6(a)-(c) of the Rome Statute, and Article II(a)-(c) of the Genocide Convention.

HRF’s Past Complaints against Sa’ar

This filing follows HRF’s earlier communication to the ICC concerning Sa’ar ahead of his February 2025 visit to Brussels, and legal action lodged by HRF, GLAN, and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians in connection with his April 2025 visit to London.

Call to Action

The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on Slovenian authorities to fulfill their obligations under domestic and international law to investigate and prosecute those responsible for international crimes, regardless of where they were committed. We urge the Slovenian judiciary to open a formal investigation into the allegations contained in the complaint and to take all necessary steps to ensure that Gideon Sa’ar cannot use his diplomatic status as a shield against accountability.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, Director General at HRF:

“No official, no matter how senior, stands above the law. The opening of an embassy must not become a ceremony of impunity. Gideon Sa’ar is not merely a visiting diplomat. He is a member of the Security Cabinet that has directed the genocide in Gaza. By inviting him to Ljubljana without scrutiny, Slovenia will become a safe haven for architects of mass atrocities. 

We are calling on Slovenian authorities to reject this normalization of war crimes and fulfill their legal duty to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the suffering inflicted upon the Palestinian people.”

Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation at HRF: 

“Universal jurisdiction exists precisely so that perpetrators cannot hide behind borders or diplomatic visits. Our investigative report provides a detailed evidentiary basis linking Sa’ar’s policy decisions to specific crimes, from the destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital to the engineered famine in Gaza.

Slovenia now has a clear legal mandate and a documented case before it. We expect the Slovenian judiciary to act swiftly and decisively, ensuring that diplomatic immunity is not used as a shield against accountability for war crimes, acts of genocide, and torture.”