GAZA: The Israeli military has acknowledged for the first time that its forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside six members of her family in Gaza in 2024.
Hind initially survived the attack and remained trapped inside the vehicle. During a phone call that lasted several hours, she pleaded for help as she was surrounded by the aftermath of the attack. Her desperate calls for assistance later became a widely cited account of the dangers faced by civilians during the conflict.
An ambulance was subsequently dispatched to reach Hind after arrangements were reportedly coordinated with the Israeli military. However, the ambulance came under fire, killing two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics who had been sent to rescue her.
Hind’s body was recovered several days later along with the bodies of her relatives. The circumstances surrounding her death and the attack on the ambulance attracted widespread international condemnation and calls for an investigation.
In its latest statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it would launch a criminal investigation into the deaths of Hind and her relatives. The investigation will also examine a separate March 2025 incident in which 15 Palestinians, including medical workers and a United Nations employee, were killed.
The Israeli military said its decision to investigate Hind’s death was linked to what it described as alleged failures in coordinating the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
“Due to alleged failures in the co-ordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the IDF said.
The military added that its examination found that Israeli troops had fired at a vehicle that was travelling in a manner contrary to an advance notice issued by the IDF spokesperson to residents in the area.
The latest admission marks a significant change from the Israeli military’s earlier account. Initially, the IDF said that none of its troops had been present in the area when Hind and her family were killed.
That claim was subsequently questioned as details surrounding the incident emerged. The circumstances of the shooting, the prolonged phone call for assistance and the attack on the ambulance prompted scrutiny from human rights groups, journalists and international organisations.
The decision to open a criminal investigation means the circumstances of the incident will now be examined by the Israeli Military Police Criminal Investigation Division. The investigation is expected to consider the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the family vehicle as well as the subsequent ambulance mission.
The case has become one of the most prominent incidents involving Palestinian children and emergency responders during the Gaza conflict. Hind’s age and her calls for help drew widespread attention to the dangers faced by civilians trapped in conflict zones.
The IDF has also announced an investigation into the deaths of 15 Palestinians killed in March 2025, including medics and a UN worker. Both incidents have generated international criticism and renewed calls for accountability over the conduct of military operations in Gaza.
The latest Israeli military statement does not itself establish criminal responsibility for the deaths. That determination will depend on the findings of the criminal investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings.
The investigation into Hind Rajab’s death is therefore expected to face close international scrutiny as authorities examine how the vehicle was targeted, the circumstances surrounding the ambulance operation and the actions of Israeli forces in the area.
