Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a criminal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the officials, Israeli Medical Association (IMA) executives and medical personnel who played a role in the torture, ill-treatment and deaths of Palestinians held in Israel's Sde Teiman detention center.
In the statement made by Brussels-based HRF, it was stated that an application was submitted to the ICC Prosecutor's Office within the scope of Article 15 of the Rome Statute regarding the treatment of Palestinians held in the Sde Teiman detention center.
According to the statement, a section of the application was devoted directly to the role of IMA.
In the application, it was stated that the Israeli Ministry of Health and Defense officials, IMA, health workers and hospital managers were requested to investigate their involvement in violations against Palestinians held in Sde Teiman since October 7, 2023, and it was emphasized that the documented actions constitute acts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in accordance with the Rome Statute.
In the application, among the names requested to be investigated are former Ministers of Health Moshe Arbel and Uriel Busso, IMA President Prof. Zion Hagay, IMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Leah Wapner, who represents more than 90 percent of doctors in Israel, and IMA Ethics Board Chairman Dr. It was noted that Yosef Walfisch was also present.
A copy of the application was also forwarded to the WMA and national medical associations.
The criminal complaint was timed to coincide with the World Medical Association (WMA) General Assembly, which was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 7-10 October, of which IMA is a founding member.
In a petition published in the journal The Lancet in June, more than 1,300 healthcare professionals and organizations called on the WMA to suspend IMA membership.
Tortures in Sde Teiman
Since October 2023, thousands of Gazan Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been held without charge or trial in the military base Sde Teiman in the Negev Desert, with the status of "illegal combatants".
In the directive published on December 19, 2023, the Israeli Ministry of Health demanded that detainees be treated in handcuffs and blindfolds, that medical personnel conceal their names and sign medical records with only their titles, and that referrals to civilian hospitals be limited to life-threatening situations only.
Recalling that in April 2024, a doctor working at Sde Teiman reported to authorities that two detainees had their legs amputated due to handcuff-related injuries within a week. As of November 2025, at least 29 detainees at the facility had died due to physical violence, medical negligence, or both.
In a letter published in The American Journal of Bioethics in April 2024, IMA argued that detainees at Sde Teiman “received appropriate medical care.”
HRF Founder and President Diyab Abu Cahcah, in his statement, stated that the Israeli medical community attended the general assembly in Rotterdam "as if nothing had happened" and said, "The union, which described the torture of Palestinian detainees as 'appropriate medical care', is now sitting among the delegates discussing medical ethics. WMA must answer for why a union that provides institutional cover for torture is still at its table." he said.
HRF is preparing to apply to the prosecutor's offices of the countries of their citizenship about Israeli healthcare workers with dual citizenship who directly participated in the violations in Gaza.
