The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it has initiated criminal investigations into several controversial operations, marking the first time the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have published a comprehensive internal report on alleged war crimes since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. Among the cases slated for prosecution by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is the 2024 killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, her family members, and the emergency medical team sent to rescue her.
The military’s legal shift comes amid intense international pressure and ongoing scrutiny from global human rights bodies. While the IDF stated that it regularly examines exceptional combat incidents to uphold domestic and international legal obligations, external rights organizations and victim advocacy groups have swiftly rejected the credibility of the internal investigations, calling them a strategy to stave off external accountability from bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The fatal shelling of hind Rajab and red crescent medics
The case of Hind Rajab drew global condemnation in early 2024 after a desperate audio recording of the child pleading for rescue was broadcast worldwide. Hind originally survived an initial military strike on a civilian vehicle in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, which killed six of her relatives. Stranded alone among the bodies of her family, she remained connected to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) emergency dispatch for hours, describing advancing Israeli tanks.
A coordinated rescue attempt was launched after the PRCS secured explicit clearance and a transit corridor from the Israeli military. However, the dispatched ambulance was shelled upon approach, killing paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun. Hind’s body was recovered days later alongside her deceased family and the bombed emergency vehicle.
While the IDF initially denied that its forces were operating in the sector at the time, its newly released findings concede that Israeli troops opened fire on the civilian vehicle, alleging it was traveling contrary to an active evacuation directive. The military added that a formal criminal inquiry is now underway due to administrative failures in coordinating the movement of the Red Crescent rescue team.
In response to the announcement, the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation expressed complete skepticism regarding the transparency of the probe, stating that internal Israeli military mechanisms have historically failed to provide authentic legal accountability or independent justice for victims.
Investigation into the march 2025 Rafah medical convoy strike
The IDF statement also confirmed a criminal investigation into a March 23, 2025, incident in the Tal al-Sultan sector of Rafah, where 15 Palestinians—including United Nations personnel and emergency medics—were killed. An Israeli combat unit fired upon an active emergency convoy consisting of ambulances, a fire engine, and a clearly marked UN vehicle. The victims were later discovered in shallow graves near the crushed machinery.
Initial military briefs claimed that troops engaged suspicious vehicles operating in total darkness without active emergency lighting. However, that defense was retracted after video evidence recovered from the mobile phone of a deceased paramedic, Rifaat Radwan, conclusively demonstrated that the convoy was navigating with its emergency beacons fully activated. The IDF has since acknowledged that the engagement raised reasonable suspicions of criminal misconduct.
No charges for world central kitchen and MSF fatalities
Conversely, the IDF report concluded that no legal grounds existed to pursue criminal charges in three other prominent investigations. These include the 2024 drone strikes in Deir al-Balah that killed seven humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), as well as separate incidents resulting in the deaths of four employees affiliated with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The decision not to prosecute personnel involved in the WCK strike has triggered diplomatic pushback. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed outrage over the lack of accountability regarding the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who perished in the strike alongside British, Polish, Palestinian, and dual U.S.-Canadian citizens. Wong summoned the Israeli ambassador on Thursday, affirming that Australia will continue to demand transparent justice.
World Central Kitchen also strongly condemned the military prosecutor’s findings, arguing that the internal review conflated distinct operational timelines to deflect accountability for illegal battlefield conduct.
Context of global legal pressure
The publication of these findings comes as the Gaza death toll surpasses 73,000 individuals, according to data from the local health ministry, which is monitored and utilized by the United Nations. Legal analysts note that the IDF faces unprecedented structural pressure to demonstrate robust self-policing capabilities in order to counter international allegations of systematic impunity.
However, Israeli domestic human rights monitors emphasize that such internal military inquiries rarely translate into meaningful legal outcomes. According to data provided by the rights group Yesh Din, formal indictments against military personnel remain exceptionally rare relative to the volume of operational complaints filed, and the infrequent convictions that do occur routinely result in lenient sentencing disproportionate to the severity of the offenses.
