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

In Gaza, a six-year-old Palestinian girl named Hind Rajab, along with several family members, were tragically killed when their car came under fire. This incident occurred in January 2024. Additionally, in March 2025, Israeli military forces took the decision to open criminal investigations into the deaths of 15 emergency and aid workers.

According to the Israeli military, these investigations are a result of probes conducted by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism. The military has also made decisions regarding other incidents involving the deaths of Palestinians, including an examination of the killings of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024. However, the military stated that there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in this case to justify opening a criminal investigation.

For over a thousand days, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been engaged in extensive combat operations, conducting various military missions in a highly complex operational environment. The IDF conducts investigations into exceptional incidents that occur during combat, as required by both international law and Israeli domestic law.

Israeli rights groups have pointed out that such criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops following the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions. Out of the numerous complaints regarding soldiers and commanders who commit offenses, there are nearly zero indictments. In rare cases where commanders or soldiers are convicted, they often receive lenient sentences, considering the severity of the offense. This was highlighted by a spokesperson for the Israeli rights organization Yesh Din.

During Israel's offensive in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Hind Rajab was pinned down in a car for hours, desperately calling out for help to Palestinian medics. Her aunt, uncle, and three cousins had already been killed. When an ambulance finally arrived, contact with both the girl and the rescuers was lost. The bodies of the girl, her relatives, and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area twelve days later.