Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that it will initiate 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 organizations note that such inquiries rarely result in convictions.
The military revealed that the decisions to investigate were based on findings from its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examined five incidents involving Palestinian fatalities. One case involved the deaths of seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024. The military stated that there was no evidence of criminal misconduct warranting a criminal investigation in this instance.
In a statement, the Israeli military emphasized the extensive combat operations it has been engaged in over more than a thousand days across various fronts, underscoring the complex operational environment. It highlighted its commitment to investigating 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 international attention. While Israeli rights groups express skepticism about the effectiveness of investigations into Israeli forces, citing low conviction rates, the military emphasized its adherence to legal obligations.
Following the announcements, Hind Rajab’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, expressed disbelief at the news and called for international scrutiny into the events surrounding her granddaughter’s death and those of other children in Gaza. She urged accountability for the soldiers responsible for Hind’s death, advocating for the rights of all Gaza children.
Recent reports from UNICEF revealed that since the onset 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 accused Israeli security forces of intentionally targeting and killing Palestinian children in Gaza. Israel dismissed the report as propaganda.
The tragic circumstances surrounding Hind Rajab’s death, where she pleaded for help while trapped in a car during an Israeli offensive, and the recovery of the bodies of 15 aid workers from a grave in the Gaza Strip have sparked global outrage and calls for justice. International figures have demanded answers and accountability for these incidents, emphasizing the need to protect humanitarian workers in conflict zones.