IDF releases findings from five Gaza probes, referring two cases for military police investigation
The Israel Defense Forces has published findings from five internal probes into deadly incidents in Gaza involving aid and medical workers. The release, made on Wednesday, is the military's largest single disclosure on civilian deaths since the war began in October 2023. Two of the cases have now been referred to military police for criminal investigation, while three others, including one involving Australian charity worker Zomi Frankcom, resulted in soldiers being cleared of wrongdoing.
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The findings were issued by the General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, the military body responsible for opening initial reviews into suspected war crimes and deciding whether cases should be escalated. The IDF said the mechanism examined incidents in which its soldiers killed innocent people. The publication did not provide a full public accounting of every probe, but it did confirm that the two most high-profile cases are now under criminal review.
One of the cases now under scrutiny concerns the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and members of her family. The military has for the first time acknowledged that it opened fire on the vehicle carrying them. Rajab had survived the initial attack on her family's car as they fled Gaza City on 29 January 2025, and later remained on the line with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society for hours while surrounded by the bodies of relatives.
Her body was recovered 12 days later, after the vehicle was shot up. The publication of the probes matters because it goes to the heart of how Israel investigates allegations of civilian harm during the Gaza war. Human rights groups in Israel and abroad have long criticised the military's internal review system, arguing that it often closes cases without accountability and only after sustained international pressure.
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The new findings are likely to intensify scrutiny of whether the military's own mechanisms are capable of addressing possible misconduct in a conflict that has drawn repeated allegations of violations of the laws of war. The General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism has a central role in that process. It conducts the first stage of review and determines whether a case should be expanded into a criminal military police investigation.
In this round, the military said two cases met that threshold. In the other three, the IDF said soldiers were cleared, including in the case involving Ms Frankcom, whose death had become one of the most closely watched incidents involving aid workers in Gaza. The release also adds to a wider record of contested incidents in the war, particularly those involving civilians, aid convoys and medical personnel.
Because the probes were internal, the findings are likely to be examined closely by rights groups, legal observers and governments that have pressed for clearer accountability. The military's acknowledgement that it opened fire on Rajab's vehicle is especially significant because it marks a change from its earlier position in February 2025, when it said an initial investigation suggested no troops were in the area at the time. What remains unclear is the scope of the two criminal investigations, the evidence behind the military's decisions in the three cleared cases, and whether any further findings will be made public.
It is also not yet clear how quickly the military police inquiries will proceed or whether they will lead to charges. For now, the publication represents a major step in Israel's internal review process, but it is unlikely to settle the broader dispute over accountability for civilian deaths in Gaza.
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