Rashida Tlaib Demands US Arrest Israeli Commander Linked to Hind Rajab's Death

Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania holds a picture of Hind Rajab during a screening of the film The Voice of Hind Rajab, on September 3, 2025 [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]. United States Representative Rashida Tlaib has urged the U.S. government to apprehend the commander of an Israeli military unit believed to be responsible for the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza.

In a social media post on Monday, Tlaib identified Israeli soldier Sean Glass as reportedly being present in the U.S. She stressed that the U.S. has a legal obligation to investigate his alleged involvement in Rajab’s death. "As a party to the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, our government is obligated to arrest and investigate him for these war crimes and acts of genocide," Tlaib stated.

Tlaib shared a report from the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), an organization that tracks Israeli soldiers suspected of war crimes in Gaza. The HRF announced it has submitted an emergency request to the U.S. Department of Justice for Glass's arrest. "Sean Glass commanded the ‘Vampire Empire’ Company implicated in the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab, members of her family, and the medics sent to rescue them. HRF’s investigation places him and his troops in the direct vicinity of Hind’s vehicle during the killing," the group stated. "Today, Glass walks free in the United States. HRF demands that the U.S. authorities arrest him and bring him to justice."

The killing of the five-year-old on January 29, 2024, sparked widespread international condemnation and became a symbol of Israel's actions against Palestinian civilians and children during its war in Gaza. Rajab and her family were attempting to evacuate Gaza City when their vehicle was fired upon by Israeli forces. Her family perished in the gunfire. Rajab's desperate call to emergency services, pleading, "I’m so scared. Please come!" was broadcast internationally. Tragically, both Rajab and the rescue team dispatched to reach her were killed by Israeli forces.

The vehicle Rajab occupied was found to have sustained 335 bullet impacts. Israeli authorities initially attributed this to a firefight with Palestinian combatants. However, an investigation by Forensic Architecture found no evidence of an exchange of fire, concluding that only Israeli forces were present in the area at the time of the incident. Israel has initiated a probe into the killings, but such investigations are frequently viewed by Palestinians as a tactic to evade accountability and delay action until public outrage subsides.

United Nations experts and other human rights organizations have characterized Israel’s offensive in Gaza as genocide. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 74,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,000 children. Despite mounting evidence of routine war crimes by Israeli forces in Gaza and other areas, the U.S. has continued to provide substantial diplomatic, military, and economic support to Israel. The U.S. has also criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) for seeking the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes.