Israel’s self-investigations into its war crimes are ‘political theatre’, AOAV reveals

New analysis by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a London based NGO which carries out research and advocacy on the incidence and impact of global armed violence, has revealed alarming patterns in Israel’s internal investigations into war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. According to AOAV’s research, covering 52 publicly reported investigations between October 2023 and June 2025, 88% of these probes have either stalled, remain under opaque review, or were closed with no findings of wrongdoing. Only a single case has resulted in a criminal conviction and prison sentence.

The data, compiled from Israeli military statements and English-language media reports, underscores a trend of near-complete impunity following some of the gravest allegations linked to the bloodiest episodes of the conflict. AOAV found these 52 incidents included more than 1,300 reported deaths and over 1,880 injuries, yet meaningful accountability has been remarkably absent.

Israel’s self-investigations into its war crimes are ‘political theatre’

The Israeli occupation forces routinely claim that allegations of misconduct are thoroughly and swiftly examined through internal mechanisms like the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism and the Military Advocate General’s office.

However, AOAV’s new findings challenge these claims, and suggest that many enquiries serve primarily as a facade to shield the military from external oversight, including from bodies like the International Criminal Court. The frequency of closed cases without conclusions, alongside the small number of disciplinary actions — which rarely lead to prosecution — raises significant questions about the independence, timeliness, and transparency of these reviews.

Dr. Iain Overton, Executive Director Action on Armed Violence, told the Canary that:

Systematic barriers seem baked into the structure of Israel’s self-investigation process, which appears to function more as a tool of ‘political theatre’ than a pathway to justice, projecting the image of accountability while avoiding meaningful consequences.

While the IOF’s official statements maintain that investigations are active and professional, with the Military Advocate General reporting dozens of criminal probes since the start of the conflict- covering incidents from detainee abuse to unlawful destruction of property, Overton claims this is deceptive. He says:

Reviews- seemingly announced to silence questions- are then often opaque, slow‑moving, and conducted within the chain of command, with a strong institutional bias towards shielding the military from external scrutiny’, while the rules of engagement are rarely, if ever, examined.

Human rights advocates warn that this pattern represents a justice system paralysed by design, where investigations seem to be structured more to protect institutional legitimacy than to pursue genuine accountability.

Shawan Jabarin, director of the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, told AOAV:

The culture of impunity in Israel is not a flaw in the system — it is the system … This is not a justice system failing to function, it is a system functioning exactly as intended.

Cases illustrate a systemic problem

Among the incidents reviewed by AOAV, some of the most notorious include:

• The Christmas Eve airstrike on Maghazi refugee camp, killing at least 86 people. The IDF admitted use of munitions unsuitable for densely populated areas but imposed no legal sanctions.
• The targeted drone strike killing seven World Central Kitchen aid workers who were operating in clearly marked vehicles. The IDF admitted ‘serious failure’ but only dismissed two officers without criminal prosecution.
• The shelling of a UN compound in Deir al-Balah, killing a Bulgarian UN staffer and injuring others. After initial denial, Israel accepted responsibility but took no legal action.
• The shooting of 15 Palestinian medics in a marked ambulance convoy, one of the deadliest attacks on medical personnel, which resulted only in a dismissal of a deputy commander for “professional failures.”

Among other troubling outcomes, AOAV found that in 75% of these investigations no clear public outcome was ever reported — cases simply languishing ‘under review’, or evaporating from public view entirely.

Israel military policies are entrenching impunity

This troubling pattern is consistent with previous reviews. The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din found that in earlier Gaza conflicts, over 80% of complaints were closed without criminal investigation, with only a single indictment stemming from dozens of formal investigations.

In AOAV’s analysis, delays, lack of transparency, and shielding of senior officials are systemic features of Israel’s approach to alleged war crimes. Military policies, such as rules of engagement, remain outside the scope of scrutiny, further entrenching impunity.

Israel frequently uses the principle of complementarity under international law — the argument that national courts should have primary jurisdiction before international legal bodies intervene — to dismiss calls for ICC investigations. However, as AOAV and international observers such as the UN’s Goldstone Report in 2009 have noted, this principle is jeopardized if domestic investigations lack independence, transparency, and effective remedies.

The devastating toll on civilians in Gaza, sustained throughout Israel’s genocide in Gaza is immense, with AOAV estimating nearly 47,000 civilian casualties from explosive violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories alone, many from indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling in dense urban areas. These figures include disproportionate numbers of women and children.

Lack of justice increases Palestinian suffering

For victims’ families and survivors, the absence of justice compounds suffering. The cycle of announced investigations followed by silence or minimal action fuels frustration and despair, leaving civilians feeling that their losses are disregarded by the mechanisms meant to protect them.

See AOAV’s full dataset on Israeli war crime investigations here.

Featured image via the Canary