Israel opens criminal investigations into Hind Rajab and paramedic killings
Israel's military has opened criminal investigations into the killings of five-year-old Hind Rajab and 15 paramedics, but found no grounds to investigate the World Central Kitchen deaths.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Israeli military has announced criminal investigations into two of the most high-profile attacks on Palestinians during the Gaza war, while declining to open a criminal probe into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
For the first time, the military confirmed that its troops opened fire on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab in January 2024. She was trapped for hours in a bullet-riddled vehicle, surrounded by the bodies of six relatives, and pleaded for help on the phone to Palestinian Red Crescent dispatchers. An ambulance sent to rescue her was also shelled, killing two paramedics. The military said its troops had fired at the family car, which it said was travelling contrary to an approved evacuation route, and that it had shelled the ambulance despite prior coordination.
A separate criminal investigation will examine the killing of 15 emergency and aid workers in Rafah in March 2025. Their crushed vehicles and bodies were found buried in the sand, leading to accusations of a cover-up. The military had previously denied wrongdoing in that incident.
However, the military said it found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the April 2024 drone attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen employees, including three British nationals. The charity called the decision "deeply offensive", saying the Israeli army knew its team was unarmed and had full visibility of the clearly marked vehicles. The Australian foreign minister also expressed outrage, as one of the victims was Australian.
The announcements come amid continued international pressure on Israel to investigate its conduct in Gaza, including from the International Criminal Court. Rights groups and many Palestinians remain sceptical, noting that past investigations have rarely led to prosecutions. The military's fact-finding mechanism reviewed five cases in total, referring two for criminal investigation and closing three others.
Meanwhile, airstrikes in Gaza have continued, with 17 people reported killed in the past two days, including a child. The ceasefire signed in October has not held, and more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since it was announced.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Israeli military will open internal criminal investigations into the killing of a Palestinian girl and the killing of 15 aid workers. | |||||
| Israel will not open a criminal investigation into the World Central Kitchen attack. | · | ||||
| The Israeli military confirmed for the first time that its troops opened fire on the car carrying Hind Rajab. | · | ||||
| The Israeli military found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the 2024 killing of World Central Kitchen employees. | · | ||||
| The Israeli military opened a criminal investigation into the 2025 killing of 15 rescue workers in southern Gaza. | · | ||||
| The Israeli military opened a criminal investigation into the killing of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab. | · | ||||
| Airstrikes in Gaza continued, with 17 people reported killed in strikes over the past two days. | · | · | |||
| Israel said the car was travelling contrary to an approved evacuation route. | · | · | · | ||
| Israel's military denied for more than two years that it had killed Hind Rajab, six family members, and the ambulance crew. | · | · | · | ||
| Israel's military said its troops fired at the family car carrying Hind Rajab and shelled an ambulance, killing paramedics. | · | · | · | ||
| Many Gazans do not trust Israel's military to investigate itself. | · | · | · | ||
| World Central Kitchen called the decision not to investigate offensive. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the breaking news element, highlighting the military's statement on World Central Kitchen and the two new criminal investigations. It also referenced its own investigative work on the incidents and provided analysis from its Middle East correspondent on the political context.
- “the Israeli military says it found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the 2024 killing of World Central Kitchen employees”
- “Israel's military is to open internal criminal investigations over its troops' killing of a Palestinian girl, and in a separate incident, the killing of 15 paramedics.”
- “the Israeli military have said they will not launch a criminal investigation into the April 2024 attack, which killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.”
BBC News provided extensive context, noting this was the first time Israel confirmed its troops opened fire on Hind Rajab's car. It also highlighted the international pressure on Israel and the reactions from the charity and the Australian foreign minister.
- “the Israeli military is to open internal criminal investigations into two of the most high-profile attacks on Palestinians during the war in Gaza.”
- “this is the first time we've had real confirmation from the Israeli military that indeed its troops did open fire on the car which contained Hind Rajab and her relatives”
- “in three other cases that it reviewed, it did not find that there should be further action going for a criminal investigation. One of those involved the killing of the seven World Central Kitchen employees in 2024.”
BBC ONE West used the same report as BBC News, with a strong focus on the human story of Hind Rajab, including her mother's emotional quote, and the broader distrust among Gazans of Israel's self-investigation.
- “For more than two years, Israel's military denied it had killed Hind Rajab and six members of her family and the ambulance crew sent to rescue her.”
- “Today, Israel's military said its troops had fired at the family car, which it said was travelling contrary to an approved evacuation route.”
- “Already disillusioned with ceasefire deals and promises of peace, many Gazans don't trust Israel's military to investigate itself.”
ITV1 emphasised the shocking nature of Hind Rajab's death and the perceived impunity of the Israeli military. It highlighted the charity's 'offensive' response to the World Central Kitchen decision and noted that Palestinians demand an independent inquiry.
- “In Israel's long and bloody pursuit of its enemies in Gaza, the killing of one young girl stood out as shocking, even amid so much brutality.”
- “Her death, a war crime, say Israel's critics, will now be investigated by Israel's own military police.”
- “But the army has closed the book on other equally controversial cases, including the drone attack that killed an aid team working for World Kitchen. Tonight, the charity described that decision as offensive.”
Channel 4 focused on the emblematic status of Hind Rajab and the lack of hope for real accountability, quoting an Israeli rights group. It also provided a detailed timeline of the Rafah attack and noted the ongoing violence in Gaza.
- “Even among the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, Hind Rajab stood out, became an emblem.”
- “Today, more than two and a half years later, an Israeli military fact-finding mechanism has confirmed Israeli responsibility, the army's advocate general announcing an internal criminal investigation.”
- “But one Israeli rights group made up of former soldiers holds out little hope for true accountability from this process.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.