JERUSALEM: Throughout its grinding seven-month war against Hamas, Israel has pledged to investigate a series of deadly events in which its military forces are suspected of wrongdoing. The commitment comes in the face of mounting claims — from human rights groups and the International Criminal Court ‘s chief prosecutor — that the country’s leaders are committing war crimes in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
In one of the highest-profile cases, an attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy that killed five foreign aid workers, the Israeli army promptly published its findings, acknowledged misconduct by its forces and dismissed two soldiers. But other investigations remain open, and admissions of guilt are rare.
Israel’s Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, said this week that the military is investigating about 70 cases of alleged wrongdoing. She gave few details. The military refused to disclose the full list of investigations and told the AP it could only respond to queries about specific probes.
A look at some of the investigations that have been publicly announced:
A DEADLY STRIKE ON A TENT CAMP KILLS DISPLACED FAMILIES
On Tuesday, Israel revealed the preliminary results of an investigation into a deadly strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced families in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Sunday’s strike killed at least 45 people and caused widespread destruction. Most of the victims were women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between the deaths of civilians and Hamas militants.
The military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said a preliminary investigation found that the Israeli munitions used that day in efforts to eliminate two Hamas militants were too small to be the source of a fire that broke out.
Hagari said the destruction may have been caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants’ weapons in the area. Hamas did not respond to that explanation, but a member of the militants’ political bureau remarked Tuesday that Israel “believes that it is deceiving the world, with its false claim that it did not intend to kill and burn children and women, and its claim to investigate its crimes.”
The Israeli military said in a statement that the investigation had been turned over to a fact-finding group that operates independently outside the army’s chain of command. Those findings are then handed to the military advocate general, who decides if there should be disciplinary measures. It’s not clear how long the probe will last.
SCORES OF CIVILIANS ARE SHOT DEAD AROUND A FLOUR CONVOY
In March, witnesses said Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City. At least 104 people were killed and 760 were wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which described it as a massacre.
Israel’s military swiftly released preliminary investigation results, saying huge crowds tried to grab supplies off of a pre-dawn convoy of 30 army trucks carrying flour toward hard-hit northern Gaza. The army said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a stampede, with some run over by the trucks as the drivers tried to get away. It said its troops only fired when they felt endangered by the crowd.
The military said the case is also being investigated by the fact-finding group.
AL-AHLI HOSPITAL EXPLOSION SETS OFF DEADLY INFERNO
An explosion in October in the courtyard of the Al-Ahli hospital, where thousands of Palestinians had sought shelter or medical treatment, set off an inferno that burned men, women and children alive.
There are still conflicting claims over what happened.
Officials in Gaza quickly said an Israeli airstrike had hit the hospital, killing at least 500 people. Images of the aftermath ignited protests across the region.
Within hours, Israeli officials said they had conducted an investigation and determined that they had not been involved. They released live video, audio and other evidence that it said showed the blast was caused by a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group.
Islamic Jihad denied responsibility.
An AP investigation, along with US and French intelligence assessments, concluded a misfired rocket likely caused the explosion.
A PALESTINIAN MAN IS SHOT WHILE WALKING WITH OTHERS
In January, the Israeli government announced it was investigating the death of a Palestinian man who was fatally shot while walking with four others.
Video footage shows one of the men holding a white flag — the international symbol of surrender — and the others behind him holding their hands in the air. They then scramble backward as several shots ring out.
In a second clip, one of the men is lying on the ground. The shooter is not visible in the video but before the shots are fired, the camera pans, showing what looks to be an Israeli tank positioned nearby. Ahmed Hijazi, a citizen journalist who filmed the episode, told The Associated Press that an Israeli tank fired on the group.
The army said it conducted an in-depth investigation and found the tank did not fire at the men. It also said it was “not possible to determine with certainty” whether the man was killed by Israeli fire.
FOUR PALESTINIANS ARE SHOT ON A DIRT ROAD
On March 22, Israel’s military launched an investigation after footage emerged appearing to show the bombing of five Palestinians near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
Aerial footage circulating on social media shows four men walking along a dirt road before a strike hits them, killing all four instantly. Another man farther along the road tries to run away before he is hit and killed. The origin of the footage remains unclear.
The military said the investigation had been turned over to the independent fact-finding group.
A GAZA SURGEON DIES IN AN ISRAELI PRISON
Famed Gaza surgeon Adnan Al-Bursh died in an Israeli prison after he was rounded up in an arrest raid on Al Awda hospital in mid-April, according to the United Nations.
Bursh led the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital. At the time of his arrest in December, he was reportedly in good health and operating on patients, the UN said.
But those who saw Bursh in detention reported that he looked depleted and bore signs of violence, according to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. Israel’s military and police did not respond to requests for comment.
Palestinian detainees who have returned from Israeli detention have reported beatings, harsh interrogations and neglect while in Israeli custody. Israel has denied the reports. Bursh was transferred to Israel’s Ofer military prison in the West Bank, where he died.
Israeli police will conduct an autopsy of Bursh’s body with a doctor from Physicians for Human Rights-Israel present, the group said, noting it had filed a petition on behalf of Bursh’s family. It’s unclear when the autopsy will be conducted and authorities have released no information on the cause of death.
The Israeli army says it investigates itself. Where do those investigations stand?
https://arab.news/mdf32
The Israeli army says it investigates itself. Where do those investigations stand?
UAE exempts Sudanese nationals from residency, visa fines
- The authority clarified that this decision takes effect on May 19, 2025
DUBAI: The UAE on Saturday decided to exempt Sudanese nationals from paying outstanding residency or visa fines, according to WAM News Agency.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security said in a statement: “The decision aligns with the UAE's long-standing commitment to supporting brotherly nations and offering humanitarian aid during crises.”
It further underscores the country's role in promoting humanity and peace, it added.
The authority clarified that this decision takes effect on May 19, 2025, and will remain valid until the end of the current year.
Sudanese nationals with outstanding fines can regularize their status and submit renewal applications via the ICP's official digital platforms. The incurring fines will be wavered.
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 9 people, mostly women and children
- Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents
- Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed nine people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.
Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents. A third strike killed another child and wounded seven people, according to Nasser Hospital, which received bodies from all three strikes.
Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel resumed its offensive in March, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages.
Aid groups say food supplies are running low and hunger is widespread.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes.
US President Donald Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour that will not include Israel.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90 percent of its population of around 2 million.
Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained
- A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defenses in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat
- Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres
PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s civil defense forces said on Sunday they had “fully contained” fires that erupted at the main fuel depot and other strategic sites in Port Sudan — the seat of the army-backed government which has come under drone attacks blamed on paramilitaries over the past week.
In a statement posted on the force’s Facebook page, civil defense director Osman Atta said the fires — involving “large quantities of petroleum reserves” — were brought under control following an intensive operation using “foam materials” and a “meticulously executed plan.”
The fires caused by a strike on the fuel depot last Monday had spread across “warehouses filled with fuel,” the Sudanese army-aligned authorities said, warning of a “potential disaster in the area.”
The Red Sea port city, which had been seen as a safe haven from the devastating two-year conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has been hit by daily drone strikes since last Sunday.
The long-range attacks have damaged several key facilities, including the country’s sole international civilian airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city’s main power station.
A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defenses in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat — around 120 kilometers west of Port Sudan — shot down two drones that had been targeting facilities in the area.
Witnesses also reported on Sunday drone strikes targeting the airport in Atbara, a city in the northern state of River Nile.
Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the attacks “threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country,” his spokesman said.
More than two years of fighting have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million in what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
MSF-run hospital in Amman treats war casualties from across Middle East
- At Al-Mowasah, also known as the Specialized Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery, is run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders
- MSF says the hospital has patients from conflict zones across the Middle East, such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza
AMMAN: Shahd Tahrawi was wounded in an Israeli strike on Gaza, Hossam Abd Al-Rahman suffered burns in an explosion in Iraq and bombardment in Yemen has left Mohammed Zakaria in need of multiple surgeries.
They all met at the charitable Al-Mowasah hospital in the Jordanian capital Amman, which treats some of the many civilians wounded in conflicts across the Middle East.
“I feel sad when I look around me in this place” seeing “people like me, innocent, simple civilians” whose lives have been blighted by the horrors of war, said Abd Al-Rahman, a 21-year-old Iraqi patient.
“They are victims of war, burned by its fires... but had no part in igniting them,” he told AFP.
He is waiting for his ninth operation at the Amman hospital, to treat third-degree burns to his face, neck, abdomen, back and hand he suffered in an accident with unexploded ordnance in his native city of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
“I was a child when I was burned 10 years ago,” he said.
“My life was completely destroyed, and my future was lost. I left school even though my dream was to become a pilot one day.”
Abd Al-Rahman, who had 17 surgeries in Iraq before arriving at the hospital in Jordan, said that through “all these painful operations,” he hopes to “regain some of my appearance and life as a normal human being.”
At Al-Mowasah, also known as the Specialized Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery and run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Abd Al-Rahman said he has found comfort in meeting patients from around the region.
“We spend long periods of time here, sometimes many months, and these friendships reduce our loneliness and homesickness.”
MSF field communications manager Merel van de Geyn said the hospital has patients “from conflict zones across the Middle East, from Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza.”
“We provide them with complete treatment free of charge” and cover the cost of flights, food and other expenses, she said.
In addition to the medical procedures, the hospital places great importance on psychological support.
“Here, they feel safe,” said van de Geyn.
“They’re surrounded by people who have gone through similar experiences... Mutual support truly helps them.”
From her room on the hospital’s fifth floor, Shahd Tahrawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian, recalled the night of December 9, 2023, when a massive explosion destroyed her family’s home in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli bombardment killed her father and 11-year-old sister, and left Shahd and her mother wounded.
Shahd has had five operations on her left leg, three of them in Jordan.
She said that on the night of the strike, she was woken up by the sound of the explosion and the rubble falling on her.
“I started screaming, ‘Help me, help me!’... and then I lost conciousness.”
Now, she said her dream was to become a doctor and help “save people’s lives, just like the doctors save mine.”
The hospital was established in 2006 to treat victims of the sectarian violence that erupted in Iraq in the aftermath of the US-led invasion, but has since expanded its mission.
In just under two decades, 8,367 patients from Iraq, Yemen, the Palestinian territories, Sudan, Libya and Syria have undergone a total of 18,323 surgeries for injuries caused by bullets, explosions, bombardment, air strikes and building collapses in conflict.
The hospital has 148 beds, three operating theaters, and physiotherapy and psychological support departments.
In one room, four Yemeni patients were convalescing.
One of them, 16-year-old Mohammed Zakaria, had dreamt of becoming a professional footballer, before his life changed dramatically when an air strike blew up a fuel tanker in Yarim, south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in 2016.
The blast killed six of his relatives and friends, his father, Zakaria Hail, said.
“The war has brought us nothing but destruction,” said the father, sitting next to his son who is unable to speak after recent surgery to his mouth.
Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows
- Israel has said the blockade is meant to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City: Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday killed at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza, including three children and their parents whose tent was bombed in Gaza City, health officials said.
The bombardment continued as international warnings grow over Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza as Israel’s blockade on the territory of over 2 million people is in its third month.
The UN and aid groups have rejected Israel’s aid distribution moves, including a plan from a group of American security contractors, ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials calling itself the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Among the 23 bodies brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours were those of the family of five whose tent was struck in Gaza City’s Sabra district, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
Another Israeli strike late Friday hit a warehouse belonging to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in the northern area of Jabaliya. Four people were killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where bodies were taken.
AP video showed fires burning in the shattered building. The warehouse was empty after being hit and raided multiple times during Israeli ground offensives against Hamas fighters over the past year, said residents including Hamza Mohamed.
Israel’s military said nine soldiers were lightly wounded Friday night by an explosive device while searching Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood. It said they were evacuated to a hospital in Israel.
Israel resumed its bombardment in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Ground troops have seized more than half the territory and have been conducting raids and searching parts of northern Gaza and the southernmost city of Rafah. Large parts of both areas have been flattened by months of Israeli operations.
Under Israel’s blockade, charity kitchens are virtually the only source of food left in Gaza, but dozens have shut down in recent days as food supplies run out. Aid groups say more closures are imminent. Israel has said the blockade is meant to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.
Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off aid in Gaza, though it hasn’t presented evidence for its claims. The UN denies significant diversion takes place, saying it monitors distribution.
The 19-month-old war in Gaza is the most devastating ever fought between Israel and Hamas. It has killed more than 52,800 people there, more than half of them women and children, and wounded more than 119,000, according to the Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without giving evidence.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped over 250 others. Hamas still holds about 59 hostages, with around a third believed to still be alive.
Hamas released a video Saturday showing hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, who appeared under duress. They were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack from a music festival where over 300 people were killed. Hamas released a video of them a month and half ago and has released several videos of Bohbot alone since then.
Protesters on Saturday night rallied once more in Tel Aviv to demand a ceasefire that would bring all hostages home.
“Can you grasp this? The Israeli government is about to embark on a military operation that could and will endanger the lives of the hostages,” Michel Illouz, father of hostage Guy Illouz, told the gathering, referring to the plan to vastly expand operations in Gaza.
