Two rights groups have filed legal action in London seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar during his visit to the United Kingdom over war crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), supported by medical professionals, urgently requested on Wednesday an arrest warrant for Sa’ar – a senior member of the regime’s security cabinet – during his UK visit, over war crimes in Gaza, particularly the late 2024 siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital, which led to the abduction and torture of its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh.

On December 28, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on Kamal Adwan Hospital, with the Gaza Health Ministry saying an estimated 50 people, including medical staff, were killed in the attacks and the rest were abducted by the occupation forces.

The request was filed with the UK Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions, GLAN said in a statement, adding that the case, supported by evidence from doctors with experience in Gaza, blames Sa’ar for aiding and abetting grave breaches of international law, including torture, willful killing, and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

The Israeli foreign minister is implicated in a broader campaign of violence and devastation in Gaza, especially after October 7, 2023, when the occupying entity unleashed its ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinian territory.

As a high-ranking official in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, Sa’ar played a central role in shaping and defending military strategies that have led to mass suffering in the region.

Netanyahu himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes in Gaza.

Sa’ar’s prominent involvement in formulating and justifying the Israeli regime’s military policy positions him as a major figure among the leadership deemed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to be plausibly carrying out a genocidal campaign.

The arrest request cites specific crimes under UK law, such as the attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the torture of Dr. Abu Safiyeh, destruction of civilian areas to establish a buffer zone, and targeting life-sustaining infrastructure.

Under Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign ministry publicly supported the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital, with the legal complaint including evidence that the hospital was besieged, bombed, evacuated, and burned, with patients and staff killed in aerial attacks.

Dr. Abu Safiyeh was detained, held under inhumane conditions, and tortured—including at the notorious Sde Teiman Detention Camp—in an incident that, according to the complaint, forms part of a broader pattern of systematic attacks on Gaza’s hospitals since October 7, 2023, involving sieges, sniper fire, and airstrikes that have devastated healthcare infrastructure and killed numerous medics.

Supported by high-profile medical and human rights advocates, this legal move comes as GLAN’s Director, Gearóid Ó Cuinn slammed the UK government for engaging diplomatically with Sa’ar instead of holding him accountable.

Dyab Abou Jahjah of HRF, for his part, emphasized the need for justice, asserting that official titles should not shield individuals from prosecution.

British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta and health care expert Dr. Azra Zyada also expressed their support, stressing that this action reflects a broader commitment to justice and the rule of law, arguing that silence in the face of atrocities undermines moral integrity and endangers future generations.