- Published
BBC Verify has identified 254 incidents in which the Israeli military has been accused of killing or injuring people in Gaza, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank and Israel that it said it was investigating, but have no public outcome.
asserted
it → publish → outcome
Using purpose-built AI tools, BBC Verify combed through more than 60,000 news reports and examined hundreds of incidents in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) faced allegations of harm since the start of the Gaza war.
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Forces → use → war
Following extensive manual checking of each incident, we found 300 cases that the military said it was looking into, only 28 of which had outcomes published on the IDF website.
asserted
28 → follow → website
For a further 18 incidents it was unclear if the investigation has been concluded.
uncertain
investigation → conclude → incidents
BBC Verify approached the IDF about each case multiple times but only received information on two incidents, which the IDF said are still under review.
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IDF → approach → review
"The IDF takes every allegation or report raising concerns about conduct that may be inconsistent with the law or IDF directives with the utmost seriousness," it said in a statement.
uncertain
it → take → statement
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which works in warzones to uphold the Geneva Conventions, publishes guidelines that state investigations into potential violations of international humanitarian law, whether criminal or otherwise, should be as transparent as possible.
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investigations → work → law
Of the 254 incidents identified by BBC Verify, 158 occurred in Gaza, 48 in the West Bank and 32 in Lebanon.
asserted
158 → identify → Lebanon
A further 16 took place in Israel or in IDF detention.
asserted
16 → take → detention
All happened between 7 October 2023 and 19 August 2026, and at least one person was reportedly killed in more than 200 of them.
uncertain
person → happen → them
Some of the incidents without public outcomes date back to late 2023.
asserted
Some → date → 2023
One of the deadliest cases involved a strike on a school building in Gaza in August 2024 when at least 93 people were reportedly killed, including six women and 11 children.
uncertain
people → involve → women
For three years, the Israeli military has often responded to accusations of harm by stating an incident is being investigated in some form, for example that it is being "looked into", "reviewed", "checked" or "examined".
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it → respond → example
Often, that is the last that is heard about a case.
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that → hear → case
A number of incidents have been escalated for criminal investigation by the IDF.
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number → escalate → IDF
Two that came under intense public scrutiny involved the killings of five-year-old Hind Rajab, and of 15 Palestinian Red Crescent emergency workers who were shot more than 100 times and allegedly targeted at close range.
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who → come → range
How does the IDF investigate incidents?
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IDF → investigate → incidents
The results of IDF military investigations are not routinely made public, including those leading to criminal investigations of its soldiers.
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results → make → soldiers
A number that have been published relate to hostages in Gaza who were allegedly killed as a result of Israeli operations.
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who → publish → operations
In some cases, the military has only announced it is investigating an incident after being approached by BBC Verify or other media organisations.
asserted
it → announce → Verify
In August, the IDF published a rare report detailing internal probes into five incidents in Gaza, including the killings of Hind Rajab and the 15 Palestinian emergency workers, which it revealed had been escalated to criminal investigations.
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it → publish → investigations
In the three other cases, which involved the killings of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an air strike and the killing of four Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers in two separate Gaza attacks, the IDF said it did not find a basis for or reasonable suspicion to begin a criminal investigation.
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it → involve → investigation
The report also stated Israel's General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM), which handles IDF investigations into "exceptional operational incidents", external, had completed the review of approximately 150 cases since the start of the war.
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which → state → war
These cases have now been transferred to the IDF's Military Prosecution for examination, according to the report.
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cases → transfer → report
The IDF did not outline what the 150 incidents were, and did not clarify whether they were separate to the cases identified by BBC Verify when asked.
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they → outline → Verify
Despite multiple requests, the IDF has not provided a transparent breakdown of the status of the 300 investigations identified by BBC Verify.
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IDF → provide → Verify
In a statement, the IDF said it "publishes information regarding the outcomes of investigations and examinations when possible, subject to legal and operational considerations, as well as restrictions relating to privacy and information security".
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it → say → privacy
It added that certain incidents are examined through command-level operational reviews, which are "intended to establish the sequence of events, identify failures and draw lessons for the purpose of improving operational conduct and taking any necessary command measures".
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which → add → measures
The IDF also said that during the war it has taken disciplinary action in dozens of cases against soldiers who failed to meet the standards expected of them and acted contrary to IDF directives, including being removed from combat positions and from reserve service.
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who → say → service
Freedom of Information data obtained by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, showed that between October 2023 and August 2024 at least 1,456 Gaza-related incidents were referred to the FFAM.
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incidents → obtain → FFAM
Twelve of these reviews were completed and referred to the Military Advocate General (MAG) Corps, two of which resulted in criminal investigations.
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two → complete → investigations
Dan Owen, a researcher at Yesh Din which has been monitoring military investigations since 2006, told BBC Verify that he believes the IDF will often try to "prolong" investigations.
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IDF → monitor → investigations
"They try to stretch out these processes to the point where people forget and people don't care about them," he said.
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he → try → them
Janina Dill, a professor of international law at the University of Oxford, said that according to the Geneva Conventions a party to armed conflict has a responsibility to "investigate and potentially prosecute its own".
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party → say → own
"That's the absolute clear bottom line," she added.
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she → add → ?
"There are also guidelines for investigation, endorsed by the ICRC, so they have some authority.
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they → be → authority
And they emphasise promptness, thoroughness, impartiality.
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they → emphasise → impartiality
"
Eran Shamir-Borer, director of the Center for Security and Democracy at the Israeli Democracy Institute (IDI) and a former top lawyer for the IDF, said there are "genuine challenges" investigating allegations in conflicts Israel is involved in, given the complex combat environments.
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Israel → say → environments
"[In] a territory which is hostile, not always under your control, collecting evidence could be very challenging.
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collecting → collect → evidence
Lots of forces on the ground, many of them executing fire," he said.
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he → execute → fire
…and 61 more, not listed.
The Aporia
