Over two years after five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza, Israel’s military has reportedly for the first time acknowledged that it opened fire on the vehicle carrying her.
The Israeli military said it will open internal investigations over its troops’ involvement in the killing, along with the killings of 15 emergency and aid workers in March 2025, Reuters reported, adding that the decision on investigation came after a report of its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism. However, rights groups have expressed skepticism saying such probes rarely lead to convictions.
Notably, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had initially refuted allegations of being involved in Rajab’s killing and also cited a ‘preliminary investigation’ to say that its forces were “not present near the vehicle or within firing range” of the vehicle.
On the killings of seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity in April 2024, the military said there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation.”
Dan Owen, a researcher in the Yesh Din rights organisation, told Reuters that over the last decade only a “tiny” proportion of investigations had led to indictments while growing political pressure “further deters Israeli law-enforcement authorities from holding those responsible accountable, even when clear evidence does exist.”
What the IDF said
Acknowledging the role of its soldiers in Rajab’s killing, the IDF on Wednesday said, “The findings of the examination indicate that IDF troops fired at a vehicle that was approaching them.”
“Following review of the findings an due to apparent 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 Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the IDF said, according to a CNN report.
The killing of Hind Rajab that shook the world
Rajab’s killing in January 2024 sparked widespread anger. She died while she was trapped inside a car for hours alongside several members of her family, who were also killed, after their vehicle came under the IDF firing. The family, that included her aunt, uncle and three cousins, were caught in the crossfire while attempting to escape the conflict zone, and their status was unknown till February 10.
Twelve days later, the bodies of the girl, her relatives and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area. Her family reported that she was found dead in the ravaged vehicle along with her family members in the Tel al-Hawa area of Gaza City.
Rajab’s mom and older sibling had reportedly fled on foot.
Rajab’s story came to light after a phone recording went viral on social media. The audio revealed the final moment of interaction the girl had before her death, asking the aid workers to come rescue her.
Rajab frantically reached out to emergency services for more than three hours. Her last words were, “I am so scared, please come,” before the call suddenly ended.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) dispatched two paramedics to help Rajab after her calls, but the paramedics died after their ambulance was destroyed. Rajab was later found dead, having been killed by shelling and gunfire.
