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, rights groups expressed skepticism about the outcomes of such investigations leading to convictions.
The military’s decision to launch investigations stemmed from inquiries by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which resulted in determinations on five incidents involving Palestinian fatalities. One of these cases involved the deaths of seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024. The military stated that there was no substantial basis for criminal investigation in this particular instance.
Highlighting the challenges faced during prolonged combat operations, the Israeli military emphasized its commitment to examining exceptional incidents in compliance 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.
Israeli rights organizations have raised concerns about the low rate of convictions in cases involving alleged misconduct by Israeli soldiers towards Palestinians. According to a spokesperson from the Israeli rights group Yesh Din, few indictments are issued relative to the number of complaints, and when convictions do occur, the sentences are perceived as overly lenient.
Reacting to the military’s announcement, Hind Rajab’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, expressed disbelief and lack of trust in Israel’s investigative process. She called for other countries to investigate the circumstances surrounding her granddaughter’s death and advocated for accountability for the soldiers involved.
In response to the tragic events, UNICEF reported that since the start of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, at least 64,000 Palestinian children have suffered injuries or fatalities. A United Nations Human Rights Council report in June implicated Israeli security forces for intentionally targeting and killing Palestinian children in Gaza, a claim that Israel dismissed as propaganda.
The case of Hind Rajab, who pleaded for help while trapped in a car during the 2023 conflict, received international attention and subsequent recognition through a film that won accolades at the Venice Film Festival. Similarly, the recovery of the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025 stirred demands for justice, with UN aid chief Tom Fletcher emphasizing the need for accountability in the face of tragedy.