The Israeli military has confirmed for the first time that it opened fire on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six members of her family in Gaza City during the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian child initially survived the attack in January 2024 that killed several family members, but her body was recovered days later along with her relatives.
After the attack, Hind managed to answer a telephone call from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which lasted hours. An ambulance it sent to reach her – in a move coordinated with the Israeli army – was then shelled, killing two paramedics.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that following a review it would be opening a criminal investigation.
“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 Military Police Criminal Investigation Division”, it said.
The IDF initially stated that none of its troops were in the area at the time of Hind’s killing. However, that suggestion was soon questioned.
The IDF later said it had “conducted raids on terror targets” with forces operating in neighbourhoods in Gaza City, including Tel al-Hawa, where Hind was located.
Hind’s killing was internationally condemned after a desperate recording of her speaking to paramedics was broadcast around the world.
She and her family were trying to flee the Israeli invasion of their neighbourhood in Gaza City, when their vehicle came under Israeli fire.
Hind’s pleas for someone to rescue her ended when the phone line was cut amid the sound of more gunfire.
The story was made into an Oscar-nominated film called The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The UN cited her case in a commission of inquiry, accusing Israel of war crimes, which it denies.
Aside from the criminal investigation into Hind and her family, the IDF also said it would investigate the killing of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker near Rafah in southern Gaza last year.
In three other cases, involving the killing of seven World Central Kitchen employees in Deir al-Balah two years ago, and four employees of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who were killed in two incidents, the IDF said it had not found grounds for criminal investigations.
The IDF is under pressure to show it investigates itself to try to stave off international legal action, most notably from the International Criminal Court.
It aims to counter accusations that it has committed war crimes and that there is impunity 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
