An urgent arrest warrant has been sought for Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar while participating in a secret visit to the UK to meet Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Hind Rajab Foundation have submitted an urgent legal request for an arrest warrant under UK universal jurisdiction laws over Sa’ar’s “alleged war crimes.”
Gideon Saar visited the UK on Tuesday in a meeting which was not officially announced.
Saar was originally meant to visit the UK in March but this was postponed when Israel renewed its assault on Gaza, breaking the tense ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
An application for his arrest warrant has been prepared for Westminster Magistrate Court.
The GLAN website alleges that Sa’ar “aided and abetted torture and grave breaches of international humanitarian law” in Palestine including “torture, wilful killing and extensive destruction of property.”
A police complaint has also been filed with the London Metropolitan Police by the human rights groups.
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A post from the GLAN X account urged the public to help locate the “suspect” and report Sa’ar to the police.
“URGENT: We are told that Gideon Sa’ar is now cutting short his visit & fleeing the UK. He is a suspect in a live investigation of serious crimes. If seen contact the London Met Police immediately. Please do not approach the suspect as he is likely accompanied by armed security.”
In the meeting, Lammy and Saar reportedly discussed the ongoing hostage negotiations between Israel and Gaza, the need to protect aid workers, end the humanitarian blockade of Gaza and stop settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Gearóid Ó Cuinn, GLAN’s Director said: “Mr Gideon Sa’ar’s is directly linked to mass death, destruction and suffering in Palestine; we have submitted extensive evidence detailing his role in and awareness of this.
UK officials are failing to abide by the law by offering handshakes instead of handcuffs – this is why we have asked the courts to urgently step in.”
The Founder and Chair of the Hind Rajab Foundation, Dyab Abou Jahjah, also urged for immediate action.
“Gideon Sa’ar cannot walk freely in London while Palestinian civilians lie buried under rubble. His role in the starvation, displacement, and killing of innocent people in Gaza demands accountability, no official title can excuse these atrocities.”
The legal action is supported by British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta and health care expert Dr. Azra Zyada, who helped gather evidence from Gaza.
War crime accusations
The charges focus in particular on the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital at the end of 2024, which culminated in the abduction and torture of the hospital director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh.
The submissions argue that Gideon Sa’ar is criminally responsible for the following acts, which are crimes under the jurisdiction of England and Wales:
. The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital between the 8th October 2024 and the 27th December 2024.
. The detention and torture of Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital
. The wanton destruction involved in the acquisition of large swathes of Gaza through the creation of a “buffer zone.”
. The attacking of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.
Some of Gideon Sa’ar public statements included in dossier submitted include: “Humanitarian aid to Gaza should be halted immediately”, “The release of the director of the Shifa hospital [without getting anything in return]: an undermining of the [war] aim of destroying the governmental infrastructure of Hamas.”
Also an X post written in Hebrew which was interpreted to say: “It is clear that the systematic poisoning of the younger generation in Palestinian society (in Gaza just like in Judea and Samaria) eliminates any chance for peace. A root canal treatment is required.”
Sa’ar is also the subject of an International Criminal Court complaint for his role in Gaza’s mass displacement and attacks on infrastructure.
Gaza hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was arrested by the Israeli military in December 2024, while the IDF forced patients and medical staff to leave Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, alleging the facility was a “Hamas terrorist stronghold.”
By staying put in the hospital, Abu Safia had kept the world informed of Israel’s near-daily attacks, issuing video statements and pleading for international intervention to end the attacks.
He was wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli drone attack on the hospital on November 23 while he was exiting the operating room.
He sustained six shrapnel wounds to his thigh, which caused ruptures in his veins and arteries. But he pleaded to continue his work.
Today he is considered a hero in the Palestinian struggle for survival in Gaza. Activists and human rights groups are pressuring for his release amid rumours he has been tortured whilst in Israeli detention.
A spokesperson from the Healthworkers and Allies for Palestine, Taby Khan, provided 5Pillars with an update on Dr Hussam’s dire situation.
“Dr Hussam is now 4 months into serving his 6 month detention order. In this time he has been tortured severely, placed in solitary confinement, was given one meal a day, and during Ramadan was denied access to a Quran, his glasses and nail clippers. Dr Hussam also suffers from a heart condition, and was denied any access to treatment for a long time. When they finally did give him a heart echo scan, they made him read it himself.
After mass campaigning by health workers and concerned citizens around the world to demand his immediate release, access to healthcare, and countless letters appealing to ambassadors to visit him and other prisoners.
The Canadian and French ambassadors visited Ofer prison where he is being held and inspected the prison and conditions of the prisoners, including Dr Hussam.
This visibility has provided Dr Hussam and other prisoners protection and improved their conditions. His lawyers have encouraged us to keep writing to the ambassadors of our respective countries in Jerusalem to visit the prisons so that this visibility is maintained.”
