Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that internal investigations will be conducted regarding the killings of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in January 2024 and 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025 in Gaza. Despite this, rights groups expressed skepticism about the likelihood of convictions resulting from such probes.
The military stated that these investigation decisions stemmed from inquiries by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which issued rulings on five incidents involving the deaths of Palestinians. One of the cases examined was the deaths of seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024, where the military determined there was no basis for a criminal investigation.
Explaining its actions, the Israeli military emphasized the extensive combat operations it has been engaged in over the past thousand days across multiple fronts under complex circumstances. It underscored its commitment to examining exceptional incidents that occur during combat in compliance with international and Israeli laws.
The killings of Hind Rajab in February 2024 and the 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 received significant global attention. Israeli rights groups pointed out the rarity of convictions resulting from criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops involved in the killing of Palestinians.
Addressing concerns, a spokesperson for the Israeli rights organization Yesh Din highlighted the low number of indictments relative to the complaints lodged against soldiers and commanders for offenses. The spokesperson criticized the lenient sentences handed out when convictions do occur, contrasting them with the gravity of the offenses.
Reacting to the military’s decision, Hind Rajab’s grandmother expressed shock and lack of trust in Israel’s ability to conduct a fair investigation. She called for international scrutiny into her granddaughter’s death and the situation of children in Gaza, stressing the need for accountability for the soldiers responsible.
In a related development, UNICEF reported last October that over 64,000 Palestinian children had been killed or injured since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. 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 rejected as propaganda.
The article also detailed the harrowing account of Hind Rajab’s ordeal during an Israeli offensive in October 2023, highlighting her desperate plea for help while pinned down in a car as her family members lay dead. The recovery of her body and that of the aid workers in subsequent months drew international condemnation and calls for justice.
The Red Crescent workers’ deaths in March 2025, unearthed from a grave in the Gaza Strip, prompted demands for answers and justice from UN aid chief Tom Fletcher. The Red Crescent media director emphasized the need for protecting medical staff carrying out humanitarian duties in conflict zones, stressing the importance of preventing such tragic incidents.
The Israeli military’s response to these incidents and the ongoing calls for accountability underscore the complex and contentious dynamics surrounding conflict-related casualties in the region.
