Israel Opens Criminal Probes into Killings of 5-Year-Old Hind Rajab, 15 Aid Workers in Gaza

Israel's military has announced it will open criminal investigations into two high-profile incidents in Gaza: the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in January 2024 and the deaths of 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025. The announcements came following probes by the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) internal Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism 12. Key Details of Hind Rajab Case The military on Wednesday acknowledged for the first time that its troops had opened fire on the car carrying Hind Rajab and her family members as the vehicle approached Israeli forces. The girl had been pinned down in the car for hours, desperately begging Palestinian medics by mobile phone to send help, while her aunt, uncle and three cousins had already been killed around her 12. When an ambulance was finally dispatched, contact was lost shortly after it arrived at the scene. Twelve days later, the bodies of Hind Rajab, her relatives, and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area 2. The military had previously denied that its troops had been in the area where she was killed 2. Other Incidents Under Review The Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism released decisions regarding five separate incidents involving Palestinian deaths. In addition to the Hind Rajab case and the March 2025 killings, the military said it found no basis to open criminal investigations into three other incidents, including the killings of seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024 12. Regarding the ambulance dispatched for Hind Rajab, the military said a shell was later fired at the Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance, and it cited "alleged failures in the coordination of the movement" as justification for opening a criminal probe 2. Criticism from Rights Groups Israeli rights organisations have long criticised the military's internal investigative process. "Nearly zero indictments are served relative to the number of complaints of soldiers and commanders who commit offences," said a spokesperson for Israeli rights group Yesh Din. "In rare cases when commanders or soldiers are convicted, they receive ridiculously lenient sentences compared with the severity of the offence" 1. The group noted that such probes rarely lead to convictions despite the volume of complaints filed against troops 12. Broader Context Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza following Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The killing of Hind Rajab became one of the most high-profile civilian death incidents during the assault. The IDF stated: "For more than a thousand days, the IDF has been conducting intensive combat across numerous fronts, carrying out a wide range of military missions in an exceptionally complex operational reality. As part of the IDF's obligations under international law and Israeli domestic law, the IDF examines exceptional incidents that occurred during combat" 1.