Israel’s military announced on Wednesday its intention to conduct internal investigations into the deaths of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in January 2024 and 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025 in Gaza. However, rights organizations expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such probes in leading to convictions.
The military stated that these investigation decisions were made following inquiries by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which resulted in determinations on five incidents involving Palestinian fatalities. Among these cases was the examination of the deaths of seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024. The military concluded that there was insufficient evidence to warrant the initiation of a criminal investigation.
Highlighting the challenges faced by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in conducting combat operations across various fronts, the military emphasized its commitment to scrutinizing exceptional incidents that occurred during combat, as mandated by international and domestic laws.
The killings of Hind Rajab in February 2024 and the 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 garnered international attention. Nevertheless, Israeli rights groups pointed out that investigations into alleged criminal misconduct by Israeli troops in relation to Palestinian fatalities often do not result in convictions.
A spokesperson for the Israeli rights organization Yesh Din criticized the low rate of indictments and the leniency of sentences in cases where soldiers or commanders are convicted. Hind Rajab’s grandmother expressed disbelief at the announcement of the investigations, stating a lack of trust in Israel’s ability to conduct a fair inquiry and urging other countries to investigate the incidents involving her granddaughter and other children in Gaza.
UNICEF reported last October that over 64,000 Palestinian children had been killed or injured since the onset of the Gaza conflict in October 2023. Additionally, a United Nations Human Rights Council report in June accused Israeli security forces of intentionally targeting and killing Palestinian children in Gaza, a claim that Israel dismissed as propaganda.
During Israel’s operations following an October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, Hind Rajab was trapped in a car for hours, pleading for help from Palestinian medics via phone while her relatives lay dead. Subsequently, the bodies of Hind Rajab, her family members, and two ambulance workers were discovered 12 days later. A film depicting Hind Rajab’s tragic death received international acclaim, winning the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and receiving an Academy Award nomination.
In March 2025, the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers were uncovered from a grave in the south of the Gaza Strip. United Nations officials revealed that the workers from organizations such as the Red Crescent and Palestinian Civil Defense were found near damaged vehicles, allegedly killed by Israeli forces while engaged in rescue operations. The Red Crescent emphasized the need to protect medical personnel executing their humanitarian duties.
Israeli forces maintained that they did not deliberately target civilians during the Gaza conflict, attributing civilian casualties to Hamas using them as shields. The military clarified that it facilitated the retrieval of the bodies from an active combat zone, refusing to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the bodies and the damaged vehicles.
Eid Aziz, the media director for the Red Crescent, stressed the importance of preventing such incidents and protecting medical personnel in compliance with international laws and humanitarian principles.