Israel's military on Wednesday announced its first criminal investigations into troop conduct during the war in Gaza, focusing on the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family and of 15 Palestinian paramedics. The military said it reviewed 150 incidents and made decisions on five cases, but will not open investigations into three other high-profile attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
The statement comes nearly two years after the war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 others. Israeli strikes continue in Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire that took effect in January 2026.
What the Right Is Saying
The Israeli military statement said its investigations found that troops fired toward an ambulance responding to Rajab's location, killing two medics. The military admitted to firing at the family car carrying Rajab, her four cousins and her aunt and uncle as they fled during an invasion of Gaza City.
Regarding the World Central Kitchen killings in April 2024, the military concluded that commanders "did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct," despite the deaths of seven aid workers. The statement said troops mistakenly identified several individuals in the vehicles as armed Hamas operatives and that the convoy deviated from its coordinated route. Two officers were removed from their positions and three others reprimanded.
The Israeli military initially said paramedics were fired upon because their vehicles were "advancing suspiciously" on nearby troops without headlights or emergency signals. It later backtracked from this account after footage emerged showing emergency lights flashing and logos visible on the vehicles.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated Israel will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed, maintaining that military operations are necessary to prevent future attacks similar to those of October 7, 2023.
What the Left Is Saying
Hind Rajab's grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, told the Associated Press that an Israeli investigation is insufficient and called for an international probe. "An international investigation is required to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable," she said. "We call for justice, not only for Hind, but for all Gaza children."
Palestinian rights groups have filed war crimes complaints to the International Criminal Court seeking to indict soldiers identified as involved in Rajab's killing. Independent experts from the U.N. Human Rights Council have said Rajab's killing might constitute a war crime.
Eid Azizi, a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson, told the AP: "We are not obligated to prove the truth because it is already proven to the whole world." He added that medics should never have reached this point if Israeli forces "respected and followed international humanitarian law."
Jonathan Whittall, a U.N. official who helped recover the bodies of the 15 paramedics, said: "They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives. This should never have happened." At the time of the killings, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for "justice and answers."
What the Numbers Show
The military said it reviewed 150 incidents of troop conduct in Gaza and made decisions on five cases covered by Wednesday's announcement.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 73,000 people have been killed since the war began. The ministry says women and children constitute about half of the dead. At least 1,273 people have been killed since the January ceasefire took effect, per the ministry, which maintains detailed casualty records considered generally reliable by U.N. agencies.
The October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas-led militants resulted in 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 251 abductions, according to Israeli figures. World Central Kitchen reported seven staffers killed in the April 2024 airstrikes. Doctors Without Borders lost four workers in two separate incidents in November 2023 and February 2024.
The Bottom Line
The military's decision to pursue some investigations while declining others highlights ongoing tensions between Israel's stated commitment to investigate conduct and critics who argue accountability remains insufficient. The timing, nearly two years into the war, has drawn criticism from families seeking swifter justice.
Human rights groups are expected to continue pursuing cases at the International Criminal Court regardless of Israeli military findings. Families of victims, including Rajab's grandmother, have called for international investigations, suggesting domestic probes will not satisfy all demands for accountability.
What happens next with ICC proceedings and whether additional high-profile cases will be investigated remain open questions as ceasefire negotiations continue.