Gaza city: Israel's military has announced its decision to open internal investigations into the deaths of five-year-old Hind Rajab and 15 emergency and aid workers in Gaza. Hind was killed in January 2024, and the aid workers in March 2025. This move comes amid criticism from rights groups, who argue that such probes rarely result in convictions.
According to France24.com, Hind Rajab's tragic death has drawn significant attention. Her body was discovered in a bullet-riddled car in Gaza City days after a desperate call to the Palestinian Red Crescent on January 29, 2024. The military stated that it decided to initiate a criminal investigation following a review of the incident, which revealed alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
Israeli rights organizations have expressed skepticism about the potential outcomes of these investigations. Dan Owen, a researcher with the Yesh Din rights group, noted that only a small fraction of such probes over the past decade have led to indictments. He cited growing political pressure as a factor that discourages accountability, even when evidence is present.
The military's review also included four other high-profile incidents in Gaza, with a criminal probe announced for the 2025 killings of 15 Palestinians, comprising medics and humanitarian workers. Hind Rajab's story has resonated internationally, leading to calls for independent investigations and featuring in the Oscar-nominated film "The Voice of Hind Rajab."
The Israeli military stated that its troops had fired at a vehicle approaching them against an advanced notice given to residents. Hind Rajab and her cousin Layan Hamada survived the incident, but the military acknowledged that upon the arrival of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it was shelled, killing two paramedics.
The investigation will also cover the 2025 events where 15 Palestinians, including medical personnel, were killed. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that first responders were targeted by Israeli forces on March 23, with rescue teams subsequently hit while searching for missing colleagues. The victims included Red Crescent staff, Gaza civil defense agency members, and a UN agency for Palestinian refugees employee, whose bodies were found near Rafah in a mass grave.
The military described the March 2025 incident as a response to an ambush by Hamas operatives, stating that six of those killed were identified as Hamas members. It further reported that troops decided to crush the vehicles and cover the bodies with metal mesh. A criminal investigation has been initiated due to the reasonable suspicion of misconduct during the incident.