Published on
19/08/2026 – 18:49 GMT+2
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it will conduct criminal investigations into two high-profile incidents in Gaza: the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, as well as the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics.
The decision follows the completion of reviews of 150 incidents involving Israeli troop conduct in Gaza, with determinations made in five cases. However, the military declined to open investigations into three separate incidents involving humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
The military also did not address other previously pledged investigations, including Israeli airstrikes on a hospital in southern Gaza in August 2025 that killed five journalists.
How the Incidents Occurred
The deaths of Hind Rajab and the 15 paramedics occurred amid intense scrutiny of Israeli military actions in Gaza.
In February 2024, Rajab was traveling with six relatives in Gaza City when Israeli forces fired on their vehicle. Her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent, reporting that a tank was approaching and their family had been killed. Shortly after, gunfire was heard, and Layan’s final scream was recorded. Rajab survived the initial attack but was found dead 12 days later alongside her relatives and two medics who attempted to reach her.
The paramedics’ deaths in Rafah in May 2025 occurred after Israeli troops targeted ambulances and emergency vehicles responding to casualties and searching for a missing ambulance. According to footage and testimony from the sole survivor, the vehicles were marked with Red Crescent and Civil Defence symbols. Initially, the military claimed the vehicles were moving suspiciously without lights, but later acknowledged the footage contradicted this claim.
“We reached this point because international humanitarian law was not respected,” said Eid Azizi, a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson, to news agencies.