Key facts
- Israel's military will open internal criminal investigations into the deaths of Hind Rajab and 15 emergency and aid workers.
- The military completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct in Gaza.
- Five cases involving troop conduct were selected for further investigation.
- No criminal investigation will be opened into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
- Hind Rajab, a five-year-old, was killed with six family members in January 2024.
- Paramedics attempting to rescue Rajab were also killed.
Israel's military announced on Wednesday that it will open internal criminal investigations into the deaths of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in January 2024 and fifteen emergency and aid workers in March 2025. The military stated these decisions followed probes by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism.
The military released decisions regarding five incidents involving the deaths of Palestinians. Among these, an examination of the killings of seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024 concluded there was "no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation."
Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. Her family's vehicle was shelled by the IDF, killing her uncle, aunt, and three cousins. Rajab and another cousin survived and contacted the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help. The second cousin was later killed, and Rajab was left stranded in the vehicle for hours. Paramedics from PRCS who attempted to rescue her were also killed. Investigations by The Washington Post and Sky News, using satellite imagery and visual evidence, concluded that Israeli tanks were present and likely fired on the car and the ambulance.
Amnesty International stated that there must be an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances in which at least 15 Palestinian medics and rescue workers were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on their vehicles in southern Gaza on March 21, 2025. Those killed included eight PRCS health workers, one UNRWA staff member, and six members of the Palestinian Civil Defense. The Israeli military acknowledged that its troops opened fire on vehicles it deemed "suspicious", admitting they had shot at Palestinian ambulances and fire trucks.