Israel unsuccessful in probing war crime accusations
(MENAFN) The Israeli military is reportedly failing to adequately investigate accusations of war crimes against its personnel, according to the UK-based NGO Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). Their recent report claims that investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) appear to prioritize protecting the military’s reputation over delivering justice.
Between October 2023 and June 2025, the IDF publicly acknowledged 52 probes into alleged war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, involving around 1,300 victims. However, only one case resulted in a prison sentence. Six investigations led to admissions of error, with three officers either dismissed or reprimanded, while seven cases found no violations. Most strikingly, 39 cases—about three-quarters of all investigations tracked by AOAV—have no publicly available updates.
Unresolved cases include the February 2024 killing of 112 Palestinians waiting for flour in Gaza and an airstrike in May 2024 that killed 45 people in Rafah. AOAV’s report describes this pattern as less about accountability and more about “disingenuous damage control,” suggesting investigations are designed to protect institutional legitimacy rather than pursue justice.
The NGO also noted this approach is consistent with how the IDF handled similar allegations in previous Gaza conflicts, where over 80% of complaints were closed without criminal probes, citing data from Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.
The military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Since then, over 55,600 people, mostly civilians, have died in Gaza according to local health authorities. Israel has also faced accusations of blocking humanitarian aid. Neither the IDF nor Israeli officials have responded to AOAV’s report.
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