A UK-based non-governmental organization has reported that only one of more than 50 significant military investigations resulted in a custodial sentence.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has asserted that the Israeli military is not adequately investigating allegations of war crimes involving its personnel.
According to a report released by the UK-based NGO on Saturday, the IDF’s investigative practices appear to prioritize safeguarding “institutional legitimacy” over ensuring justice.
AOAV indicates that among 52 publicly acknowledged IDF investigations into alleged war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, merely one concluded with a prison sentence. These incidents occurred from October 2023 to June 2025, affecting approximately 1,300 reported victims.
The NGO’s most recent report notes that a total of six cases led to an “admission of error,” with officers either dismissed or reprimanded in three of these situations. The IDF determined “no violation” occurred in an additional seven cases.
Thirty-nine cases, representing three-quarters of all investigations observed by AOAV, lack public or English-speaking media updates on their progress. These unresolved matters include, but are not limited to, the February 2024 incident where 112 Palestinians waiting for flour in Gaza were killed, and a May 2024 airstrike in Rafah that claimed the lives of 45 Palestinians in a camp.
The monitor’s report concluded that the data illustrate “a picture not of military accountability, but of disingenuous damage control.” It also noted, “There was a lurking suspicion that the outcomes of any investigation may have been to serve to protect institutional legitimacy rather than to deliver justice.”
AOAV asserted that this pattern aligns with the IDF’s approach to comparable cases in earlier Gaza conflicts, where, according to data from Israeli human rights NGO Yesh Din, more than 80% of complaints were reportedly closed without criminal investigations.
The military operation by West Jerusalem in Gaza commenced following the October 7, 2023 attack, during which Hamas killed 1,200 individuals and seized over 200 hostages.
Since that time, over 55,600 people, predominantly civilians, have died in Gaza, as per the enclave’s health ministry. West Jerusalem has also encountered allegations of war crimes related to obstructing humanitarian assistance. Neither the IDF nor any Israeli officials have provided comments regarding the AOAV report.