The Israeli military has confirmed for the first time that its forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six members of her family in Gaza City during the ongoing conflict.
The Palestinian child initially survived the January 2024 attack that killed several of her relatives, but her body was recovered days later alongside them.
Following the strike, Hind managed to speak with representatives from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society during a hours-long telephone call. An ambulance dispatched to rescue her—coordinated with the Israeli military—was subsequently shelled, resulting in the deaths of two paramedics.
In a formal statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that, following an internal review, it would launch a criminal investigation into the incident.
“Due to alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the statement read.
The IDF initially claimed that none of its forces were operating in the area at the time of the incident, an assertion that was quickly challenged by subsequent reports.
The military later acknowledged that it had “conducted raids on terror targets” with forces operating in neighborhoods of Gaza City, including Tel al-Hawa, the area where Hind was located.
The tragic fate of Hind Rajab sparked widespread international condemnation after a distressing audio recording of her pleading for help was broadcast globally.
She and her family had been attempting to flee their neighborhood in Gaza City amid the Israeli invasion when their vehicle came under fire.
Her desperate pleas for rescue ended when the phone connection was lost, accompanied by the sound of continued gunfire.
The incident inspired an Oscar-nominated documentary titled The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The United Nations cited Hind’s case in a commission of inquiry, accusing Israel of committing war crimes—a charge that the country has firmly denied.
In addition to the investigation into Hind’s death, the IDF announced it would look into the killing of 15 Palestinians, including medical personnel and a United Nations worker, near Rafah in southern Gaza last year.
However, in three other high-profile incidents—the killing of seven World Central Kitchen employees in Deir al-Balah, and the deaths of four Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) workers across two separate incidents—the IDF stated that it had found insufficient grounds to launch criminal investigations.
The Israeli military faces intense international pressure to demonstrate that it conducts thorough, impartial internal investigations to prevent legal action from bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). This effort is aimed at countering allegations of war crimes and ensuring accountability for its forces.
Correction: The initial version of this story and breaking news notification said Hind Rajab was aged six. The copy was updated after it was later confirmed she was aged five.
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