D8Ghassan Alian — Maj. Gen., head of COGAT
- “Human animals must be treated as such… You wanted hell, you will get hell.”
- He ran COGAT — the agency controlling every calorie entering Gaza.
- His words appear in South Africa's genocide application at the ICJ.
In a 10 October 2023 video address to Gaza residents reported by The Times of Israel, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian — head of COGAT, the Israeli military body that controls the entry of aid into Gaza — declared: "Human animals must be treated as such. There will be no electricity and no water, there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell." South Africa cited the statement as evidence of genocidal intent in its ICJ Genocide Convention case against Israel; Human Rights Watch's December 2024 report "Extermination and Acts of Genocide" documented COGAT's blocking of water, fuel, and aid equipment under his command; and in January 2025 the Hind Rajab Foundation filed requests with the ICC and Italian authorities seeking his arrest for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The record — 8 sources
Date, publication and headline for each source, as the source itself published them. Sorted by publication date. 6 of 8 dated; a blank means the publisher's page didn't expose it, and we don't guess.