The IDF on Wednesday announced decisions regarding five incidents examined by the General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM), including two cases in which criminal investigations will be opened.
The IDF stressed that, as part of its obligations under international and Israeli law, it examines exceptional incidents that occur during combat. Since the beginning of the war, the FFAM has completed reviews of approximately 150 incidents and transferred them to the Military Prosecution for examination.
Among the cases reviewed was the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) employees in Deir al-Balah in April 2024. The employees were killed when IDF forces struck vehicles belonging to the organization during a humanitarian aid operation.
According to the FFAM, troops identified a gunman on a truck in the humanitarian aid convoy and vehicles surrounding the trucks in a manner they assessed, based on operational experience, as consistent with Hamas taking control of the convoy. WCK had hired an armed security force to accompany the convoy, but the presence of the armed personnel in the organization's vehicles had not been coordinated with the IDF.
After the convoy reached the warehouse and unloaded the aid, several individuals were mistakenly identified as armed. They entered vehicles that began traveling south from the warehouse, deviating from the route coordinated in advance with the IDF. Based on the assessment that Hamas operatives had taken control of the convoy, the IDF mistakenly believed that Hamas military operatives were inside the vehicles and struck them.
The examination also found that IDF personnel attempted unsuccessfully to contact WCK representatives during the approximately half-hour period in which the vehicles were being tracked.
Following an initial examination, the previous IDF Chief of Staff removed the Brigade Humanitarian Assistance Officer and Brigade Chief of Staff from their positions. The Brigade Commander, Commander of the 162nd Division, and Commander of the Southern Command were formally reprimanded.
After reviewing the findings, the Chief Military Prosecutor determined that despite serious failures in the process that led to the assessment that Hamas operatives were traveling in the vehicles, there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. No criminal investigation or additional measures will therefore be taken beyond those already imposed.
A different decision was reached regarding the January 2024 incident in Gaza City in which nine people were killed, including the child Hind Rajab.
According to the examination, IDF troops fired at a vehicle approaching them while traveling contrary to advance instructions issued by the IDF to residents of the area. According to published reports, five passengers were killed, while Hind Rajab and her cousin Layan Hamada survived the initial shooting.
Following a telephone call to rescue authorities, the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance was coordinated to evacuate the casualties. According to allegations, a shell was fired toward the ambulance when it arrived, killing the two paramedics inside. Several days later, the bodies of Hind, Layan, and the other members of the Hamada family were recovered, as were the bodies of the two paramedics.
Due to alleged failures in coordinating the movement of the ambulance, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) will open a criminal investigation.
A criminal investigation will also be opened into the deaths of 15 Gazans, including medical personnel and a UN employee, in Tel al-Sultan in March 2025.
Three shooting incidents occurred involving rescue vehicles during an IDF ambush against Hamas terrorists. According to the FFAM, troops initially fired at a vehicle they identified as a Hamas vehicle. Around an hour later, they received a report of five vehicles approaching at high speed. The vehicles stopped very close to the troops and their occupants rapidly exited, after which a decision was made to open fire. Approximately 15 minutes later, troops fired at another vehicle arriving at the scene.
The vehicles were subsequently identified as a fire truck, ambulances, and a UN vehicle. Fifteen Gazans were killed, including medical personnel and paramedics. According to the examination, six of those killed were identified as belonging to Hamas. After the incident, the troops decided to crush the vehicles and cover the bodies with metal mesh.
Following the initial examination, the Chief of Staff directed that the Commander of the 14th Brigade receive a command remark and that the Deputy Commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit conclude his position. The Military Prosecution subsequently determined that the firing raised reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct and ordered an MPCID investigation.
The FFAM also examined two incidents involving Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
In February 2024, the IDF struck a building in Khan Yunis that was later found to belong to MSF, killing two women and injuring seven people. According to the examination, troops were moving through an area near Hamas combat compounds when they identified a building at a topographically dominant point overlooking their route.
The troops assessed that the building posed a threat and fired a single shell at one of its windows. The examination found that the building's lights were off and no movement had been observed in or around it before the firing. The troops also did not have the most up-to-date information identifying the building as associated with MSF and could not see the organization's signage because they were moving behind the building.
The Military Prosecution determined that the troops had fired for a military purpose at an object they assessed to be a military objective. No criminal investigation will be opened, though commanders were instructed to assess whether command measures should be taken over faults identified in the attack process.
The fifth case involved the deaths of two MSF employees in Gaza City in November 2023.
The movement of an MSF convoy from Gaza City to the organization's clinic in Khan Yunis had been coordinated with the IDF. The convoy reached an IDF checkpoint, but the troops there were unaware that final approval for its movement had been granted shortly before its departure.
The convoy was asked to wait while the matter was clarified. After some time, concerned that it would not reach its destination before dark, the convoy turned back toward Gaza City without the required coordination, despite IDF soldiers warning that its return could not be coordinated at that time and could endanger its passengers.
As the convoy traveled back toward Gaza City, IDF troops along the route identified vehicles approaching them in the opposite direction to the approved evacuation movement. The soldiers fired warning shots to prevent the vehicles from approaching.
The vehicles continued and came within several hundred meters of IDF troops, who perceived them as an actual threat. Additional warning shots were fired toward the road.
According to the examination, it is possible that the deaths of two convoy passengers resulted from ricochet or bullet splash from the warning fire. The FFAM found that direct fire was not aimed at the convoy at any stage.
The Military Prosecution determined that the incident did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct and that there was no basis for opening an MPCID investigation.