Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed alongside her family, was one of the subjects of Israel’s military criminal investigations announced on Wednesday. This probe centers around several incidents in Gaza, including the deaths of Hind and 15 paramedics. However, it excludes cases involving aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders. Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, criticized this decision as unjust.
The scrutiny follows significant international backlash after Hind, trapped in a vehicle with her deceased relatives, begged for help before meeting her fate in February 2024. Her cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamada, contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics before gunshots silenced her. Subsequently, Hind, her family, and responding medics were found deceased.
Hind’s grandmother demands an international investigation, seeking justice not only for her granddaughter but for all affected Gaza children.
The military admitted firing at the vehicle carrying Hind’s family, as well as the ambulance that responded. Calls for accountability grow, with Dyab Abou Jahjah referring to the investigations as a ‘charade.’
In another incident, Israeli troops fired upon an ambulance retrieving casualties in Rafah, killing 15 medics, burying them in a mass grave. Subsequent footage proved they had not posed a threat. Despite this, Israel’s measures are deemed insufficient by rights groups.
Concerning the World Central Kitchen strike, the Israeli military declined investigating the incident further, stating the identification of individuals as Hamas operatives was an error. World Central Kitchen disputes these claims and demands independent review.
Military investigators will proceed with reviewing cases to determine any potential charges. Historically, very few soldiers are prosecuted for violations, and convictions are even rarer. Just 0.17% of military investigations from 2014–2022 led to prosecutions.
The ongoing conflict, sparked by a Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, persists with rising casualties, reaching over 73,000 deaths according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Targeting by Israeli forces continues, blamed on Hamas operations in populated areas.