Israel’s military has announced a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab, more than two years after she died trapped in a car in Gaza City. The military said the decision followed a review of findings and alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
The announcement is the first time Israel has admitted that its troops fired at the car. The military said soldiers had “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them”, while Palestinian accounts described more than 300 bullets striking the black Kia carrying Rajab and members of her family.
What the military says it will investigate
The case concerns Rajab’s death and the killing of her family members in early 2024. The military said the investigation followed reviews of 150 incidents involving troop conduct during Israel’s war on Gaza.
The military also announced a criminal investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in March 2025. It said it would not open criminal investigations into three other attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
Related coverage: Israeli minister urges killing 30 to 40 Palestinians nightly in Gaza.
How Hind Rajab was killed
On January 29, 2024, at about 7:30pm, Rajab died of her injuries while trapped in a car surrounded by the bodies of her relatives. Her family had been forcibly displaced from Gaza City hours earlier after attempting to follow Israeli orders to leave.
Palestinian Red Crescent workers tried to reach her but were blocked by Israeli forces, according to the supplied account. Paramedics dispatched an ambulance and remained on the phone with Rajab until contact was lost.
Why the announcement is being met with scepticism
Israel initially denied that its soldiers were in the area where Rajab was killed. After journalistic investigations, the army said it had raided “terror targets” in Gaza City that day, and Israeli officials said in January that they were reviewing the case.
More context: Seven killed in Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon.
Rajab’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, said an Israeli investigation was not enough and called for an international investigation into the killing of her granddaughter and other children killed during the war. The source report also notes that criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops over the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions.
Rajab’s recorded pleas for help were widely shared and drew international condemnation. A 2024 investigation cited in the source report concluded that an Israeli tank was likely 13 to 23 metres from the car and would have clearly seen civilians inside.
Also read: Jared Kushner heads to Israel and Egypt amid Gaza plan dispute.
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