Israel to probe Hind Rajab and Gaza medics killings after war review

Israel's military will open criminal investigations into the killings of Hind Rajab, her family and 15 Gaza paramedics. The move sharpens scrutiny of wartime conduct as Australia and France press separate diplomatic disputes across the region.

In Short

• Australia condemned Israel for closing the World Central Kitchen killings case
• Penny Wong said Canberra got no notice before the decision
• At least 10 people died in two Israeli airstrikes across Gaza

Israel's military said on Wednesday that it will open criminal investigations into the killing of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and her family, and the separate killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics in Gaza, after reviewing 150 incidents involving troop conduct during the war.

The announcement came amid fresh violence and diplomatic tension across the region. At least 10 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Australia criticised Israel's decision not to pursue criminal charges over the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, Iran's parliament speaker arrived in Iraq for a three-day visit, and France said it would expel two Iranian diplomats.

The Israeli military said the new investigations would cover the killing of Rajab and her relatives in February 2024, and the killing of 15 medics in March 2025. It said it would not open criminal investigations into three other attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders. Rajab was killed when Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle carrying her aunt, uncle and four cousins as they tried to flee Gaza City during an Israeli offensive. The 15 paramedics were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicles in Rafah in southern Gaza, then bulldozed the bodies and buried them in a mass grave. According to phone footage and the sole survivor, troops first shot at an ambulance going to retrieve casualties from an Israeli offensive, and then fired on other emergency vehicles sent to look for it.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed "outrage" on Thursday over Israel's decision not to pursue criminal charges over strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian woman Zomi Frankcom. Wong said her government was told of the decision only moments before it was announced, leaving officials with no time to inform Frankcom's family before it became public. "There are still many unanswered questions," Wong said.

Wong said those questions included why the convoy was struck three times in a humanitarian fire control zone and why a senior brigade officer involved in the strikes had signed a letter urging restrictions on aid to Gaza. She said Australia had still not received drone recordings from the attack despite repeated requests. "The Australian government does not believe that the removal of two officers from their positions and three officers being reprimanded is sufficient accountability for the deaths of seven people, including an Australian citizen," Wong said.

Wong earlier summoned Israel's envoy to Canberra, Hillel Newman, for a meeting, but said she would not expel the ambassador because Australia needed to continue diplomatic engagement with Israel. After the meeting, Newman told reporters he was "very sorry" for Frankcom's family, but did not apologise for her killing. "One cannot attack findings of a court if the findings are not suitable to one's political agenda," Newman said. He added that the finding of no criminal liability came after "two years of independent research".

In Gaza, local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 10 people were killed on Wednesday in two airstrikes. The attacks added to uncertainty over whether new US efforts could advance a fragile ceasefire. Two days after US negotiators reportedly asked Israel to reduce attacks in Gaza, Israeli troops crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza and detained a Hamas police colonel at dawn, according to two witnesses and a Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety.

In Iraq, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived for a three-day visit during which he is expected to meet Iraqi officials and leaders of an Iran-backed political coalition. Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched drone attacks on US military and diplomatic targets inside Iraq and abroad, increasing pressure on Baghdad as it tries to maintain ties with both Washington and Tehran. Ghalibaf praised the Tehran-backed militias, calling them the "resistance in Iraq" and a "key component of the country's national power". His remarks came as the Iraqi government has been trying to disarm the militias, which have long operated on their own despite being nominally under state command.

Iraq is also asking Iran to grant special status to Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz because the country has been badly affected by Iran's war with the US and needs to protect its economic interests, according to a statement from Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi. Iraq depends on oil revenues for about 90 per cent of its budget, and most of its oil is exported through the strait. Since the war began and Iran asserted control over the route, halting most shipping traffic, Iraq has turned to alternative routes, including transporting oil over land to Syria, which is less efficient and more expensive.

France, meanwhile, said it will expel two staff members of the Iranian Embassy in response to what the French Foreign Ministry described as an assault by Iranian security forces on two French diplomatic staff in Iran last month. Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said the French diplomats, who were expelled on Monday, were accused of taking part in a secret meeting with "suspects in a major case involving foreign infiltration and interference". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot criticised the Iranian authorities for not investigating what he called a "premeditated and deliberate attack", rejected the allegations as fabricated, and said the two Iranian diplomats would leave Paris in the coming days.

The day's developments brought together fresh scrutiny of Israeli actions in Gaza, more deaths on the ground, Australian criticism over an aid worker case, Iran's political outreach in Iraq, and a new round of diplomatic expulsions between Paris and Tehran.

With PTI Inputs

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