The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday that it is launching criminal investigations into two significant incidents that occurred during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The probes will examine the deaths of five-year-old Hind Rajab, along with members of her family, and the killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics. This decision follows a comprehensive review of 150 incidents involving the conduct of Israeli troops, which resulted in final decisions for five of the cases.
Despite this announcement, the military stated it would not pursue criminal investigations into three other incidents involving aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders. Furthermore, the official statement did not address several other high-profile events the military previously pledged to investigate, including the August 2025 Israeli strikes on a southern Gaza hospital that resulted in the deaths of five journalists.
The death of Hind Rajab in February 2024 drew significant international attention. Rajab was traveling with six relatives in a vehicle fleeing Gaza City when Israeli forces opened fire. Her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, managed to contact the Palestinian Red Crescent, reporting that a tank was approaching and that her family had been killed. Recordings released by the Red Crescent capture the sound of further gunfire followed by Layan’s screams stopping. Hind survived the initial attack and stayed in contact with the Red Crescent as it sought permission to reach her; however, 12 days later, her body, along with those of her relatives and two medics sent to rescue her, were discovered.
In a separate incident in May 2025, 15 Palestinian paramedics were killed in Rafah. According to phone footage and a sole survivor, Israeli troops opened fire on ambulances and other emergency vehicles that were responding to casualties and searching for a missing ambulance. The remains were later recovered from a mass grave by UN and rescue workers. While the military initially claimed the vehicles were moving suspiciously without proper signals, it later revised this account after footage confirmed the emergency vehicles were clearly marked with Red Crescent and Civil Defence symbols and were operating with flashing lights.
Addressing the situation, Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson Eid Azizi stated, "We are not obligated to prove the truth because it is already proven to the whole world. We shouldn’t have reached this point if they respected and followed the international humanitarian law."
