Israel to launch investigations into attacks on Palestinians
Israel’s military announced it will initiate criminal investigations into two significant attacks on Palestinians during the war in Gaza, including the killings of 6-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, as well as the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics, reports BritPanorama.
The military confirmed that it will not pursue investigations into three other incidents involving the deaths of aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
According to the military’s statement, it has conducted reviews of 150 incidents regarding troop conduct in Gaza and reached conclusions on five cases.
Notably absent from the statement were references to other high-profile killings the military has pledged to investigate, such as the airstrike in southern Gaza which resulted in the deaths of five journalists in August 2025, including Mariam Dagga, a freelancer for major news organizations.
The killings of both Rajab in February 2024 and the 15 medics in May 2025 garnered international scrutiny. Rajab was shot alongside her family while attempting to escape Gaza City amid ongoing military operations. Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle, where Hind and her relatives were situated.
Despite surviving the initial attack, Rajab lost contact with the Palestinian Red Crescent as they sought permission from the military to perform a rescue operation. After 12 days, Hind and her relatives were found deceased.
In the case of the paramedics, they were killed when Israeli forces fired upon their vehicles in the southern city of Rafah. Eyewitness accounts and videos reveal that troops continued to shoot at additional emergency vehicles dispatched to assist after the initial attack.
Subsequently, the military bulldozed their bodies and the mangled vehicles, creating a mass grave at the scene. U.N. and rescue teams could only access the area a week later to recover the bodies.
The Israeli military initially claimed it opened fire because the vehicles appeared to advance in a suspicious manner. However, this assertion was retracted after evidence emerged showing the emergency vehicles had their lights flashing and logos visible.
“We are not obligated to prove the truth because it is already proven to the whole world,” stated Eid Azizi, a representative of the Palestinian Red Crescent, emphasizing the need for adherence to international humanitarian law.
The ongoing war, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of over 73,000 people in Gaza, as reported by the local health ministry. This figure includes at least 1,273 casualties since a fragile ceasefire took effect. The ministry, while part of the Hamas-led government, maintains generally reliable casualty records acknowledged by U.N. agencies and independent experts, although it does not differentiate between militants and civilians, reporting that women and children account for approximately half of the fatalities.
As investigations proceed, the implications of these military actions will continue to resonate, reflecting the complexity of the ongoing conflict.
