Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that it would 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. These investigations were initiated following assessments by the Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism of the military, which also addressed five incidents involving Palestinian fatalities.
Among the incidents reviewed was the case of seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen charity who were killed in April 2024. The military concluded that there was no basis for criminal investigation in this particular incident. The Israeli military highlighted the challenging operational environment it faces, emphasizing its commitment to examining exceptional incidents in accordance with international and domestic laws.
The killings of Hind Rajab in February 2024 and the 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 garnered significant international attention. However, Israeli rights groups expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of investigations into alleged misconduct by Israeli troops, citing a low rate of convictions. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights organization, criticized the leniency of sentences in cases where soldiers or commanders are found guilty.
Hind Rajab’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, voiced disbelief at the announcement of the investigations, expressing a lack of trust in Israel’s ability to conduct impartial inquiries. She called for other countries to investigate the deaths of her granddaughter and other children in Gaza, emphasizing the importance of accountability for the victims.
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. In a separate report, the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israeli security forces of targeting and killing Palestinian children in Gaza, a claim that Israel rebuffed as propaganda.
The tragic circumstances surrounding Hind Rajab’s death, where she pleaded for help while trapped in a car during an Israeli offensive, led to international outrage. A film depicting her story won accolades, including the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. In another distressing incident, 15 emergency and aid workers were found buried in the sand in southern Gaza in March 2025, prompting calls for accountability and justice.
