'Pattern of Impunity' Israeli Military Fails to Find Fault in 88% of Alleged Abuse Cases

Nearly nine out of 10 Israeli military investigations into allegations of war crimes or abuses by its soldiers since the start of the war in Gaza have been closed without finding fault or have been left without resolution, according to a conflict monitor.

- Dan Sabbagh

Unresolved investigations include the killing of at least 112 Palestinians queueing for flour in Gaza City in February 2024, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said, and an airstrike that killed 45 in an inferno at a tented camp in Rafah in May 2024.

Also unresolved is an inquiry into the killing of 31 Palestinians going to pick up food at a distribution point in Rafah on 1 June. They were killed after Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said. Shortly after, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the reports were "false" but the IDF told the Guardian that the incident was "still under review".

Iain Overton and Lucas Tsantzouris, the team at AOAV, said the statistics suggested Israel was seeking to create a "pattern of impunity" by failing to conclude or find no fault in the vast majority of cases involving "the most severe or public accusations of wrongdoing by their forces".