Israel Opens Probes—but Leaves Gaza’s Most Contested Killings Outside Criminal Review

Israel Opens Probes—but Leaves Gaza’s Most Contested Killings Outside Criminal Review
Israel’s decision to investigate some civilian deaths in Gaza while closing the door on others has exposed the central dispute over the IDF’s wartime accountability: whether the probes represent meaningful scrutiny or a narrow response to overwhelming evidence and international pressure.

The investigations concern the 2024 deaths of five-year-old Hind Rajab, her family and two Palestinian paramedics who tried to rescue her, as well as the killing of 15 Palestinian medical and humanitarian workers near Rafah in March 2025. The IDF said the cases involved alleged failures and exceptional incidents arising from an “exceptionally complex operational reality.”

That framing is shared by the conservative account, which emphasizes that the probes were launched amid Israel’s broader military campaign against Hamas and presents them as evidence that the army is examining troop conduct rather than ignoring allegations outright. The IDF maintains that it does not deliberately target civilians and says Hamas operates among them.

The liberal account, however, places the announcements in a wider pattern. It notes that the military initially denied its forces were near the scene of Rajab’s death, while later evidence pointed to nearby Israeli tanks. It also reports that the IDF will not open criminal investigations into the 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers or the deaths of four Doctors Without Borders personnel. The aid group called the decision “deeply offensive,” saying the military had known its team was unarmed and traveling in clearly marked vehicles.

The contrast is therefore less about whether Israel has launched investigations than about their scope and likely consequences. Israeli officials present selective probes as a legal obligation and a response to unusual battlefield failures. Critics counter that investigations rarely produce indictments and describe a “pervasive climate of impunity.” The result is an accountability system that acknowledges some cases while leaving survivors and humanitarian organizations questioning why comparable deaths remain outside criminal review.