Israeli Military Launches Criminal Probes into Killings of 5-year-old, Paramedics

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the launch of its first criminal investigations into troop conduct in the Gaza war. These probes will specifically examine the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, and the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics, incidents that have drawn significant international condemnation.

This announcement comes nearly three years after the initial October 2023 Hamas attack, following internal reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct in Gaza. The military stated it has made decisions on five cases, launching two criminal investigations while not pursuing probes into three others.

What happened in the Hind Rajab case?

The investigation into the death of Hind Rajab, who was 5 years old (though The Times of Israel reported her age as 6), stems from an incident in Gaza City. In January 2024, according to CBS News, The Guardian, The Times of Israel, and Al-Monitor, or February 2024, as other reports indicate, Hind was in a vehicle with six other family members while fleeing an Israeli offensive. The vehicle came under Israeli fire, killing her four cousins, aunt, and uncle. Her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, called the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) paramedic center, reporting a tank approaching and her family’s deaths. More gunshots were heard, and Layan's screaming ceased. Hind, the sole survivor, remained in contact with the Red Crescent before contact was lost.

Hind, her five relatives, and two medics from a dispatched ambulance were found dead 12 days later. The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, that troops had fired towards both the ambulance and the vehicle carrying Hind's family. The military stated its investigation found troops fired at the car as it approached forces, traveling in the opposite direction to an evacuation route published by the IDF. Independent experts from the U.N. Human Rights Council have stated that Rajab's killing might constitute a war crime, and her story was made into an Academy Award-nominated 2025 docudrama, "The Voice of Hind Rajab."

What happened in the paramedics killing case?

The second investigation focuses on the killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics and emergency responders from the Red Crescent and Gaza's Civil Defense. This incident occurred in Rafah in March 2025, according to CBS News, The Washington Post, northeastNOW, and The Media Line, though other outlets including PBS News, Arab News, WKYC, and The Hindu reported May 2025.

Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicles as they attempted to reach casualties from an Israeli offensive. According to phone footage and a sole survivor, troops initially shot at one ambulance, then targeted several other emergency vehicles that went to search for the first. Following this, troops bulldozed over the bodies and vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. U.N. and rescue workers could only reach the site a week later to excavate the bodies. The military initially claimed the vehicles were "advancing suspiciously" without headlights or emergency signals but later retracted this statement after footage showed them driving slowly with emergency lights flashing and visible logos. The IDF stated there were Hamas operatives among those killed, and forces "decided to crush the vehicles and to cover the bodies with metal mesh." One deputy commander was directed to step down.

What about other high-profile incidents?

The military will not launch criminal investigations into three other attacks that resulted in the deaths of aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Chef José Andrés, founder of U.S.-based World Central Kitchen, publicly condemned this decision on X, calling it "wrong and painful." The military's statement also did not mention other high-profile killings Israel had pledged to investigate, such as strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza that killed five journalists in August 2025.

What does this mean for accountability?

Both the killing of Hind Rajab and her family and the deaths of the 15 medics drew heavy international outcry, with rights groups filing war crimes complaints to the International Criminal Court. However, skepticism regarding the accountability of Israeli soldiers is high among rights groups. Ziv Stahl, director of Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, noted that Israeli military convictions are rare. Hind Rajab's grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, told NPR that while they support the probe, "there should be justice for all the children and adults of Gaza" and expressed disbelief that soldiers would be held accountable, calling for international justice. To AFP, she stated her family had no faith in a criminal probe, calling it an attempt by the Israeli military to "justify" her killing.

Eid Azizi, a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson, stated, "We are not obligated to prove the truth because it is already proven to the whole world. We shouldn't have reached this point if they respected and followed international humanitarian law." Rights groups and U.N. commissions have previously stated that Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 73,000 people according to the territory’s Health Ministry, amounts to genocide and that Israeli forces have committed war crimes. Israel denies these accusations, stating it targets Hamas after its October 2023 attack and blames civilian deaths on Hamas operating in populated areas.

What happens next?

The newly announced investigations will be conducted by Israeli military police. Hind Rajab’s grandmother has reiterated her call for an international probe into the killing of her granddaughter and all children killed in Gaza.