Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it would launch internal criminal investigations into the deaths of six-year-old girl and 15 Aid workers in Gaza.
Hind Rajab was brutally killed in January 2024 while 15 emergency and humanitarian workers were assassinated in March 2025.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the decisions followed reviews conducted by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examined five separate incidents involving Palestinian deaths.
One of the cases concerned the April 2024 killing of seven employees of the World Central Kitchen, a US-based humanitarian organisation. The military said its review found no grounds to suspect criminal wrongdoing and therefore concluded that a criminal investigation was not warranted in that case.
The IDF said it was examining exceptional incidents arising from military operations in accordance with Israeli law and its obligations under international law.
Hind Rajab, who was six years old, was killed in January 2024 after the vehicle carrying her family came under fire in Gaza City. She was left trapped in the car, wounded and surrounded by the bodies of her relatives.
During a phone call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Hind pleaded for help, telling emergency responders that she was frightened and asking them to send someone to rescue her.
Despite prolonged efforts to reach her, Hind was found dead more than two weeks later. Her relatives were also killed, along with two Red Crescent workers who had gone to the scene in an attempt to save her.
A subsequent investigation by London-based research organisation Forensic Architecture examined satellite imagery and other visual evidence. It reported that several Israeli tanks were located near the vehicle and concluded that one of them fired hundreds of rounds at the car. The organisation also said evidence indicated that an Israeli tank may have targeted the ambulance sent to rescue Hind.
The case gained international attention, particularly after audio from Hind’s emergency call was made public. Her story later inspired Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania to make the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which used portions of the actual recording of Hind speaking with Red Crescent emergency workers.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film this year.
In March, US lawmakers also introduced legislation calling for a US investigation into Hind’s death.
