Nearly 90% of Israeli war crime investigations closed or unresolved

Nearly nine out of 10 Israeli military investigations into alleged war crimes or abuses by its soldiers in Gaza since the war began have been closed without findings of wrongdoing or remain unresolved, a conflict monitoring group said.

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said unresolved cases include a February 2024 incident in which at least 112 Palestinians were killed while queueing for flour in Gaza City, a May 2024 airstrike that killed 45 people at a tent camp in Rafah, and the June 1 killing of 31 Palestinians as they went to collect food in Rafah. Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire in the June incident. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially called reports “false,” but later told The Guardian the matter was “still under review.”

AOAV’s Iain Overton and Lucas Tsantzouris said the figures showed Israel was creating a “pattern of impunity” by failing to conclude investigations or find wrongdoing in most cases involving serious allegations.

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The IDF said it investigates “exceptional incidents” during operations when there is suspected legal violations, following Israeli and international law. The military said it uses both criminal investigations by the military advocate general’s police department and fact-finding assessments (FFA) by a separate general staff team.

AOAV said it found reports of 52 cases in English-language media between October 2023 and June 2025 where the Israeli military said it had conducted or would conduct investigations after allegations of civilian harm in Gaza or the West Bank. Those cases involved the deaths of 1,303 Palestinians and injuries to 1,880.

One investigation led to a conviction. A reservist was sentenced to seven months in prison in February for aggravated abuse of Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman detention centre. Five other cases resulted in disciplinary action, including the April 2024 dismissal of an IDF colonel and a major after an airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.

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AOAV said 46 other cases, or 88 per cent of the total, were either closed with no findings or remain unresolved. Seven were closed without fault, while 39 are still under review or have no reported outcome.

The IDF said “any report … complaint or allegation that suggests misconduct by IDF forces undergoes an initial examination process.” Depending on evidence, cases may be referred for criminal investigation or an FFA review to determine if criminal misconduct is suspected.

Critics, including the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, say the FFA process can take years. After 664 inquiries into previous Gaza operations in 2014, 2018-19 and 2021, there was one known prosecution, the group said.

In August 2024, the IDF said the FFA had collected information on “hundreds of incidents” from the Gaza war, and the military advocate general’s office had opened 74 criminal investigations. Of those, 52 related to detainee deaths and mistreatment, 13 to stealing enemy ammunition, three to destruction of civilian property, and six to alleged illegal use of force.

AOAV’s figures differ from IDF statistics because the group counted incidents where media reported an investigation was conducted, covering both Gaza and the West Bank.

The IDF said “dozens of military police investigations have been opened” and that most remain ongoing. The FFA has “completed its review in dozens of cases,” which have been sent to the military advocate general for possible criminal investigation.