Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that it will 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. Despite this, human rights organizations have expressed skepticism about the likelihood of convictions resulting from such inquiries.
The military’s decision to launch investigations came after assessments by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which reviewed 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. In this particular incident, the military stated that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal investigation.
Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) stated, “For over a thousand days, the IDF has been engaged in intense combat operations on various fronts, facing a highly complex operational environment.” The military emphasized its commitment to fulfilling its obligations under international and domestic laws by scrutinizing exceptional events that occurred during combat.
The killings of Hind Rajab in February 2024 and the 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 garnered significant international attention. However, Israeli rights groups have pointed out the low rate of convictions resulting from criminal misconduct investigations involving Israeli troops in cases of Palestinian deaths.
Yesh Din, an Israeli rights organization, highlighted the rarity of indictments against soldiers and commanders despite numerous complaints of misconduct. The organization noted that when convictions do occur, the sentences are often perceived as excessively lenient given the gravity of the offenses committed.
During Israel’s military response to a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Hind Rajab was trapped in a car for hours, desperately seeking help from Palestinian medics via phone while her relatives lay deceased nearby. Tragically, when an ambulance eventually reached the scene, communication with the girl and the rescuers was lost. It took twelve days to recover the bodies of Hind Rajab, her family members, and two ambulance personnel from the area.
