US Representative Rashida Tlaib has called on the American government to arrest an Israeli military commander allegedly responsible for the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza.
In a social media post on Monday, Tlaib pointed to reports that Israeli soldier Sean Glass was present in the United States, and said the government had a legal obligation to investigate his role 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," she wrote.
Tlaib shared a report from the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), an organisation that tracks Israeli soldiers suspected of war crimes in Gaza. The group said it had filed an emergency request with the US Department of Justice to arrest Glass.
"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 said in a statement.
"Today, Glass walks free in the United States. HRF demands that the US authorities arrest him and bring him to justice."
Rajab was killed on January 29, 2024, along with members of her family, after their vehicle came under Israeli fire as they attempted to leave Gaza City. Her death triggered widespread international outrage and became a symbol of the targeting of Palestinian civilians and children.
Rajab called emergency services during the attack, appealing to rescuers: "I'm so scared. Please come!" Recordings of the call received international attention. Both Rajab and the rescue team dispatched to reach her were subsequently killed.
The vehicle she was travelling in was found to have been struck by 335 bullets. Israeli authorities initially attributed the incident to a firefight with Palestinian fighters.
An investigation by Forensic Architecture found no evidence of an exchange of fire and concluded that only Israeli forces had been present in the area at the time.
Israel has opened a probe into the killings. Palestinians and rights groups have criticised such investigations as a means of avoiding accountability.
United Nations experts and other human rights organisations have declared Israel's assault on Gaza to be a genocide. At least 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 21,000 children, according to reports.
The United States has continued to provide Israel with diplomatic, military and economic support. It has also denounced the International Criminal Court for seeking the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes.
