JERUSALEM: Israel’s military announced Wednesday it will launch criminal investigations into two significant incidents during the recent conflict in Gaza: the deaths of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, and the killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the military’s probes will focus on these cases, stemming from reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct in Gaza. The military stated that decisions have been made on five cases, though specific details about the other two remain undisclosed in the initial statement.
The announcement comes after considerable international attention was drawn to both the February 2024 killing of Hind Rajab and the May 2025 deaths of the 15 paramedics. The military confirmed it would not launch criminal investigations into three other attacks that resulted in the deaths of aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
Hind Rajab was with her relatives attempting to flee Gaza City during an Israeli offensive when troops reportedly opened fire on their vehicle. A call placed by Hind’s 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, to the Palestinian Red Crescent detailed that a tank was approaching and their family had been killed. The recording captured the end of Layan’s screams shortly after, according to the Red Crescent.
Hind was the sole survivor in the car. Contact with her was maintained by the Red Crescent as they sought military permission for a rescue operation, but communication was lost. Hind, her five relatives, and two medics were discovered deceased 12 days later.
In a separate incident, 15 paramedics were killed when Israeli troops allegedly opened fire on their ambulances in the southern city of Rafah. The vehicles were reportedly targeted as they attempted to reach casualties from an Israeli offensive. Following the initial strike on one ambulance, subsequent emergency vehicles dispatched to assist were also fired upon, according to phone footage and the account of a sole survivor.
Witness reports and footage indicate that troops then used bulldozers to cover the bodies and their damaged vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. Rescue workers and United Nations personnel were able to access the site approximately a week later to recover the bodies.
The Israeli military’s initial justification for opening fire was that the vehicles were “advancing suspiciously” toward troops without their headlights or emergency signals activated. However, this explanation was later challenged by emerging footage showing the Red Crescent and Civil Defence teams operating with flashing lights and visible logos while proceeding slowly.
Eid Azizi, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, stated to the Associated Press, “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 the international humanitarian law.”
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The Chenab Times News Desk
