Israeli Military Opens Criminal Investigations into 2 Civilian Casualty Incidents in Gaza War

The Israeli military announced on the 19th local time that it has decided to launch criminal investigations into two cases of civilian casualties from the Gaza war, which has claimed the lives of over 73,000 people.

The targets of the Israeli military's criminal investigations are the deaths of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, a case that drew global outrage, and the mass killing and secret burial of 15 Palestinian paramedics.

The first subject of the investigation is the tragic death of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her relatives in Gaza City in February 2024.

At the time, Hind was evacuating in a car with her relatives to escape Israeli military airstrikes when they came under fire.

Rayan Hamadeh, Hind's 15-year-old cousin who was in the vehicle, called the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) dispatch center and desperately pleaded for rescue, saying, "A tank is approaching and shooting. My family members are dead."

However, gunfire rang out during the call, and Rayan's screams were cut short.

Hind, the 5-year-old sole survivor inside the vehicle, maintained contact with the Red Crescent control room before eventually losing connection.

While permission for rescue access by the Israeli military was delayed, Hind was found dead 12 days later, riddled with bullets inside and outside the vehicle, along with five relatives and two paramedics who had been dispatched to rescue her.

The second subject of the investigation is the mass killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics who were carrying out a rescue mission in Rafah, southern Gaza, in May of last year.

At the time, the Israeli military opened fire on a first ambulance moving to transport the wounded, and subsequently unleashed gunfire on several other rescue vehicles that headed to the scene to search for colleagues who had lost contact.

What was shocking was the attempt to cover up the incident right after the massacre.

Using bulldozers, the Israeli military plowed over the damaged ambulances and the bodies of the paramedics before secretly burying them in a mass grave.

The tragedy site was excavated by the United Nations (UN) and rescue workers only after access was granted a week later.

Immediately after the incident, the Israeli military offered a false explanation, claiming, "We opened fire because the vehicles approached suspiciously without headlights or emergency signals."

However, they later reversed their stance after footage was released showing the paramedic vehicles moving slowly with their emergency lights on and the Red Crescent logo clearly displayed.

The Israeli military's latest initiation of investigations is interpreted as a measure conscious of the mounting international criticism and judicial pressure, with the cumulative death toll in the Gaza war surpassing 73,000.

However, the Israeli military stated that it would not pursue criminal investigations into three other internationally controversial cases, including the deaths of aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), leaving doubts about the sincerity of the probe.

Additionally, a hospital airstrike that killed five journalists, including a freelance videographer, was also excluded from the investigation targets.

In response to the Israeli military's announcement of the investigations, the Palestine Red Crescent Society criticized the move, stating, "The truth has already been proven to the entire world, so there is no reason for Israel to verify it only now. If they had respected international humanitarian law in the first place, these horrific tragedies would not have happened."

(Photo: Reuters, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.