Israeli Military Launches Criminal Probes into Gaza Ambulance Attack and March 2025 Medic Killings

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that its military police will open criminal investigations into two separate incidents in Gaza. The first probe concerns the January 2024 attack on a vehicle carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members, in which the Israeli forces opened fire despite earlier statements that no troops were present. The IDF said the investigation follows a review that identified alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.

A second investigation will examine the March 2025 killing of 15 Palestinians, among them rescue workers and a United Nations staff member, after video showed Israeli troops firing on vehicles displaying emergency lights. The IDF previously claimed the vehicles were advancing suspiciously, but later retracted that account after cellphone footage contradicted the claim.

Both inquiries will be conducted by Israeli military police. The IDF reiterated that it found no criminal misconduct in other incidents involving humanitarian workers, including World Central Kitchen staff and Doctors Without Borders personnel killed in earlier months.

"The story of Hind is not the only story. It's absolutely dozens of calls we're getting since the beginning of the war in Gaza, where we feel helpless," said Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson Nebal Farsakh.

The investigations come amid criticism that most Israeli military inquiries into alleged war-time violations have ended without convictions.