JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The IDF said Wednesday that military prosecutors have ordered criminal investigations into two serious incidents in Gaza, including the deaths of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics, as well as the killing of 15 Palestinians in Rafah.

At the same time, prosecutors decided not to open criminal investigations into three other incidents involving international humanitarian organizations, including the April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen employees.

The decisions followed reviews by the IDF General Staff’s fact-finding mechanism, which examines exceptional operational incidents during wartime and refers cases to the Military Advocate General’s Corps when further action may be warranted.

The IDF said the mechanism has reviewed approximately 150 incidents since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and has submitted its findings to military prosecutors.

Military prosecutors ordered a Military Police investigation into the January 2024 deaths of Hind Rajab, six, her cousin Layan, and members of their family, as well as two paramedics who were killed while attempting to reach the girls.

According to the IDF review, troops fired at a vehicle belonging to the Hamada family after it approached their position while traveling in a direction contrary to an evacuation route previously announced to Gaza residents. Five people inside the vehicle were killed, while Hind and her cousin initially survived.

The girls subsequently contacted emergency services, prompting efforts to coordinate an ambulance to reach them.

According to allegations examined by the military, a shell was fired toward the ambulance after it arrived at the scene, killing the two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics inside. The bodies of Hind, Layan and the other family members were recovered days later, along with the bodies of the paramedics.

The IDF said the review identified apparent failures in the coordination of the ambulance’s movement that warranted further examination through a criminal investigation.

Because the Military Police investigation is now underway, the IDF said it could not release additional details from the fact-finding review.

A second criminal investigation was ordered into the March 2025 killing of 15 Palestinians in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah, including medical personnel and a United Nations worker.

According to the military’s review, IDF troops preparing for an operation had established an ambush along a major access route. The force initially opened fire on a vehicle it identified as belonging to Hamas.

Approximately an hour later, troops were informed that five vehicles were approaching at high speed. The vehicles stopped near the soldiers, and their occupants quickly exited. The troops opened fire. About 15 minutes later, another vehicle arrived and was also fired upon.

The IDF later determined that the vehicles involved in the first two incidents were an ambulance and a fire truck, while the third vehicle was associated with the United Nations.

Fifteen Palestinians were killed. The military said six of those killed were identified as having affiliations with Hamas.

The review also found that after the shooting, the vehicles were crushed and the bodies were covered with metal netting. Following the incident, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered a command note to be placed in the file of the commander of Brigade 14 and removed the deputy commander of the Golani reconnaissance unit from his position.

Military prosecutors concluded that the findings created reasonable suspicion of a criminal offense and therefore ordered the case transferred to the Military Police.

Military prosecutors reached a different conclusion regarding the April 1, 2024, strike that killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen, the international humanitarian organization founded by chef José Andrés.

According to the IDF review, troops had identified an armed man traveling on a truck associated with a humanitarian aid convoy. Soldiers later observed vehicles moving around the convoy in a manner they believed indicated that Hamas operatives were attempting to take control of it.

The review found that World Central Kitchen had hired an armed security team to accompany the convoy, but the presence of those guards had not been coordinated with the IDF.

After the convoy reached its warehouse, several individuals were mistakenly identified as armed. They entered vehicles that subsequently traveled south, deviating from the route coordinated with the military.

Based on the earlier suspicious activity, troops incorrectly concluded that Hamas operatives were inside the vehicles and ordered the strike.

The IDF said military personnel attempted for approximately 30 minutes to contact World Central Kitchen representatives and verify the vehicles’ identities, but the attempts were unsuccessful.

Military prosecutors determined that although serious operational failures had occurred, the commanders’ decisions did not meet the criminal threshold under the circumstances and given the information available to them at the time.

No additional criminal or disciplinary action was ordered beyond measures already taken, including the dismissal of two officers and reprimands for several senior commanders.

Two additional cases involving Doctors Without Borders were also reviewed without criminal investigations being opened.

The first concerned an IDF strike in February 2024 on a building in Khan Younis that was later identified as belonging to Doctors Without Borders. Two women were killed and seven people were wounded.

According to the military review, troops operating near areas where Hamas forces were active identified the building as a potential threat because it overlooked their position. They fired a single shell toward one of its windows.

The IDF said the building was dark, no movement had been observed before the strike, and troops did not have updated information identifying it as a Doctors Without Borders facility.

Prosecutors concluded that the soldiers had fired for a military purpose at what they reasonably believed was a military target and found no basis for a Military Police investigation. They did, however, order a review of whether command measures were warranted because of failures identified in the strike process.

The fifth case involved gunfire near a Doctors Without Borders convoy in November 2023. The organization said two passengers were killed.

The five-vehicle convoy had coordinated its movement from Gaza City to a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Khan Younis. According to the IDF, the convoy was later asked to wait at a military checkpoint but its members decided to turn back toward Gaza City without renewed coordination.

Troops subsequently observed the convoy moving against the direction of the approved evacuation route and fired warning shots because they viewed the movement as a potential threat. The military said the troops did not deliberately fire directly at the vehicles.

The review found that the two passengers may have been killed by fragments from the warning fire, but military prosecutors concluded there was no reasonable suspicion of a criminal offense.

The IDF said the five decisions reflect its broader effort to investigate exceptional incidents during the Gaza war, with criminal investigations being opened when available evidence meets the threshold for further inquiry.