Israel to investigate killings of Hind Rajab and 15 Gaza emergency and aid workers

Jerusalem, Israel. Israel’s military said on Wednesday it will open internal investigations into the killings in Gaza of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in January 2024 and 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025. Rights groups said such investigations rarely result in convictions.

Five incidents reviewed

The military said the decisions followed examinations by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism. It released decisions concerning five incidents involving Palestinian deaths.

The cases included the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in April 2024. The military said there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation” in that incident.

Hind Rajab case

During Israel’s offensive following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, Hind Rajab was trapped in a car for hours and called Palestinian medics by mobile phone to request help.

Her aunt, uncle and three cousins were already dead, according to the account. Contact was lost with Rajab and the ambulance crew after an ambulance arrived. Twelve days later, the bodies of Rajab, her relatives and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area.

A film about Rajab’s death won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Emergency workers’ deaths

In March 2025, the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from the Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defense and the United Nations were recovered from a grave in the sand in the southern Gaza Strip, according to UN officials at the time.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a post on X that the bodies were buried near “wrecked & well-marked vehicles.” He said they were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives and called for answers and justice.

Rights groups’ concerns

Israeli rights groups said criminal misconduct investigations involving Israeli troops and the killing of Palestinians rarely result in convictions.

Dan Owen, a researcher at the Yesh Din rights organisation, said only a “tiny” proportion of investigations over the past decade had led to indictments. He said growing political pressure further deters Israeli law-enforcement authorities from holding those responsible accountable, even when clear evidence exists.

Israeli forces say they have never deliberately targeted civilians during the Gaza war. They say Hamas endangers civilians by using them for cover.