Multiple parties have expressed a lack of confidence in the Israeli judicial system following Israel's announcement to launch criminal investigations into the killing of Palestinian child Hind Rajab in Gaza, saying that such investigations rarely result in convictions.
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it would open criminal investigations into the killing of Hind Rajab and a separate case in which the Israeli troops killed 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN employee.
The decisions followed reviews by the military's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examines exceptional wartime incidents. About 150 cases have been reviewed since the latest round of Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023. On Wednesday, it released conclusions about five cases of killing of Palestinians.
Rajab was found dead with members of her family in Gaza City in early 2024, days after she was trapped in a car under Israeli fire and pleaded by telephone with emergency workers for help. Two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics sent to rescue her were also killed.
The military said its review found "failures" in coordinating the movement of the ambulance and that the case would be investigated by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.
Rajab's grandmother said she was not confident about Israel's judicial system and called on the international community to uphold justice.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, based in Brussels, Belgium, also said that it has no confidence in the Israeli military's criminal investigations, adding that even if such investigations were conducted, they should not be considered a step toward justice.
Meanwhile, some Israeli human rights organizations pointed out that criminal investigations into the Israeli military's killing of Palestinians rarely result in convictions.
Multiple parties express lack of confidence in Israel's judicial system
