Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Israel Opens Probes Into Gaza Killings of Hind Rajab
Israel’s military says it will investigate the deaths of a young Palestinian girl and 15 rescue and aid workers in Gaza.
Hind Rajab was five years old when she became trapped in a car after relatives were killed.
She called medics for help, but she and the rescuers later disappeared.
Their bodies were found 12 days later.
In another case, 15 workers were found in a grave near their damaged emergency vehicles.
The military says it examines unusual events during combat under Israeli and international law.
It also said a separate review of the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers did not find enough evidence for a criminal investigation.
Rights groups say investigations into alleged misconduct by Israeli soldiers rarely result in convictions.
Aid officials say medical workers should have been protected in the first place.
Israel’s military said it will investigate the January 2024 death of five-year-old Hind Rajab and the March 2025 deaths of 15 emergency and aid workers in Gaza.
Hind Rajab was found dead 12 days after she pleaded by phone for rescuers while trapped in a car near the bodies of relatives.
The 15 workers included personnel from the Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defense and the United Nations, whose bodies were found in a sand grave near wrecked, marked vehicles.
The military said its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism reviewed five incidents and found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the April 2024 World Central Kitchen deaths.
Israeli rights groups and aid officials questioned the effectiveness of such investigations and called for accountability and stronger protection for medical workers.
- Who
- The Israel Defense Forces, Hind Rajab, 15 Palestinian and United Nations emergency and aid workers, rights groups and aid officials.
- What
- The Israeli military announced internal investigations into the deaths of Hind Rajab and 15 Gaza rescue and aid workers, while declining to open a criminal investigation into the World Central Kitchen deaths.
- When
- The incidents occurred in January 2024, April 2024 and March 2025; the military announced the investigation decisions on Wednesday.
- Where
- The incidents took place in the Gaza Strip.
- Why
- The military said it was meeting its obligations under international and Israeli law by examining exceptional incidents during combat; critics demanded accountability and protection for aid workers.
Critics, Rights Groups and Aid Officials
Israeli Military
Accountability
Critics, Rights Groups and Aid Officials
Yesh Din said investigations into alleged offenses by Israeli soldiers rarely lead to indictments or meaningful sentences.
Israeli Military
The military said it examines exceptional combat incidents under international and Israeli law.
Protection of Rescue Workers
Critics, Rights Groups and Aid Officials
The Palestinian Red Crescent said opening an investigation was less important than preventing the deaths and protecting medical staff under international law.
Israeli Military
The military said it had not deliberately targeted civilians and described the area where the workers were found as an active combat zone.
World Central Kitchen Deaths
Critics, Rights Groups and Aid Officials
The deaths of seven aid workers prompted demands for answers and justice, particularly because their vehicles were marked and later found crushed.
Israeli Military
After its review, the military said there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct sufficient to justify a criminal investigation.
- Hind Rajab incident
- The five-year-old was trapped in a car and found dead 12 days after requesting help from Palestinian medics.
- Rescue-worker deaths
- Fifteen emergency and aid workers were recovered from a sand grave in southern Gaza in March 2025.
- Organizations involved
- The workers included personnel from the Red Crescent, Palestinian Civil Defense and the United Nations.
- World Central Kitchen review
- The military said seven workers were killed in April 2024 but found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct warranting a criminal investigation.
- Review body
- The decisions followed probes by the Israel Defense Forces’ Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism.
- Rights-group position
- Yesh Din said complaints against soldiers and commanders rarely result in indictments and that convictions usually bring lenient sentences.