Israel opens criminal probes over killings of Hind Rajab and Gaza rescue workers, military says

Israel's military revealed on Wednesday that it would initiate internal criminal investigations into the deaths of Hind Rajab in January 2024 and 15 rescue and aid workers in March 2025 within Gaza. These decisions stemmed from probes conducted by the military's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examined five incidents involving Palestinian fatalities.

The military detailed investigations into five specific incidents, including the April 2024 killing of seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity, which it deemed to have "no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been engaged in prolonged combat across multiple fronts over more than a thousand days, executing a diverse array of military missions in a highly complex operational environment. The IDF emphasized that as part of its obligations under international law and Israeli domestic law, it conducts thorough examinations of exceptional incidents that occur during combat.

In the case of Hind Rajab, six-year-old Hind had been pleading to be rescued after her family's car was under fire in war-torn Gaza City, leaving her alone, terrified, and injured, amidst the corpses of her deceased relatives. She had urgently called the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help, saying, "I am so scared. Please, call someone to come get me."

After an extensive two-week search, Hind's body, along with her relatives and two PRCS workers dispatched to rescue her, was recovered. Forensic Architecture, a London-based research group, analyzed satellite imagery and visual evidence, concluding that several Israeli tanks were in proximity to the vehicle and that one likely fired 335 rounds at the car carrying Hind and her family.

The group also suggested that a tank might have targeted the ambulance. Hind's harrowing story, along with the recording of her desperate emergency call, formed the basis for Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania's docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab," which was nominated for best international feature film at the Academy Awards this year.

In March 2025, US lawmakers introduced legislation advocating for a U.S. investigation into Hind Rajab's killing.