CAIR-Chicago also urges congress to stop funding the Israeli military in light of its documented war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A joint investigation by The Guardian, ARIJ, German media, and independent researchers has documented the targeted killings of at least six unarmed members of the Doghmosh family in Gaza on November 22, 2023, by two dual nationals—one from Chicago and one from Germany—operating within an Israeli sniper unit known as the “ghost” or “refaim” squad.
Among the victims were two sons, their father, and a cousin—none of whom posed a threat or carried arms, and some of whom were reportedly attempting to retrieve bodies—a protected act under international humanitarian law.
In a deeply chilling video interview included in the Guardian investigation, Daniel Raab reflected on the shooting of 19-year-old Salem Doghmosh—who was unarmed and merely trying to retrieve his brother’s body—and coldly remarked: “It’s hard for me to understand why he [did that] and it also doesn’t really interest me. I mean, what was so important about that corpse?”
These targeted killings appear to violate the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, especially considering the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians and those engaged in rescue operations. Legal scholars, including Stanford law professor Tom Dannenbaum, have described the evidence as indicative of war crimes.
A Palestinian from Gaza now living in Chicago, said:
“Every single day I hear from my relatives in Gaza who are starving, displaced, and living under constant bombardment. They have no food, no clean water, no medicine. Children are dying from hunger before bombs reach them. For us in the diaspora, it is unbearable to watch this genocide unfold while the world debates whether our lives are worth protecting. The U.S. must stop shielding war criminals and start holding them accountable.”
In a statement, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said:
“Given that the alleged perpetrator attended the University of Illinois and has American citizenship, CAIR‑Chicago insists the Department of Justice cannot ignore these atrocities merely because they occurred abroad. The War Crimes Act clearly grants U.S. courts jurisdiction over U.S. nationals who commit grave breaches of the laws of war.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
