{
  "id": 1917107,
  "title": "IDF issues first war crimes probe since beginning of Israel-Hamas War",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/idf-issues-first-war-crimes-probe-since-beginning-of-israel-hamas-war",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T11:06:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-906005"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The IDF has launched its first war crimes investigation since the Israel-Hamas War began, examining over 150 probes, including the World Central Kitchen (WCK) saga, the Islamic Crescent saga, and three other major cases. The IDF Military Advocate-General, Maj.-Gen. Itay Offir, is leading the investigations.\n\nIn the WCK incident, the IDF mistakenly killed seven international food aid workers on April 1, 2024. The report reveals that IDF surveillance officials misidentified the WCK security guards as Hamas fighters, and later, WCK officials were also misidentified and mistaken for armed individuals. The IDF acknowledged that the surveillance officials were at fault for their misidentifications, but deemed the errors as disciplinary measures rather than crimes.\n\nRegarding the killing of nine members of the Hamda family, including child Hind Rajab, in Gaza City on January 29, 2024, Offir found the IDF officials involved in coordinating the ambulance's arrival to be grossly negligent. He has ordered the continuation of the probe as a full criminal case. The IDF claims that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) failed to provide critical information to the on-ground officials, leading to the deadly mistakes.\n\nThe third incident involves the mistaken killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics, firefighters, and UN workers in Tel Sultan, Rafah, on March 23, 2025. Offir found that the IDF successively fired on different rescuer cars in an ambush they believed was targeting Hamas. The IDF has connected six of the fatalities to Hamas, but the investigation will continue, with the most serious part of the case being the third attack.",
  "summary": "Investigators examined five major cases, resulting in two criminal probes, two disciplinary probes, and the closure of one file.",
  "key_points": [
    "IDF launches first war crimes probe since Israel-Hamas War began.",
    "WCK incident: IDF mistakenly killed 7 international food aid workers on April 1, 2024.",
    "Hamda family killing: IDF officials found grossly negligent in ambulance coordination."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}