Elham Asaad Buaras
The Israeli military has admitted that its forces fired on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in Gaza City and has opened a criminal investigation into her killing, more than two years after the incident.
The admission on August 19 marks a reversal of Israel’s earlier position that its forces were not operating in the area when the family was killed in January 2024.
The military said the investigation followed a review of 150 incidents involving the conduct of its forces during the war on Gaza. It said the review found alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance sent to rescue Hind.
The military also acknowledged that its troops had “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them”, its first known admission that Israeli forces shot at the car.
Hind was killed on January 29, 2024, after her family attempted to flee Gaza City following Israeli evacuation orders. Her 15-year-old cousin, Layan, contacted PRCS from inside the vehicle and pleaded for help before she was killed.
Hind remained trapped inside the car surrounded by the bodies of her relatives. PRCS dispatched an ambulance, but its paramedics were unable to reach her and remained in contact with her until communications were lost.
Investigations found that more than 300 bullets were fired at the vehicle. An Al Jazeera investigation concluded that an Israeli tank was likely between 13 and 23 metres from the car and would have had a clear view of its occupants.
The Hind Rajab Foundation said it did not trust the Israeli investigation to deliver justice, citing the Israeli military’s record in investigating incidents involving Palestinian civilians.
Hind’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, called for an international investigation into her granddaughter’s killing and the deaths of children in Gaza.
“An international investigation is required to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable,” she told the Associated Press.
“We are not demanding justice only in Hind’s name as a child from Gaza, but in the name of all our child martyrs in Gaza.”
The Israeli military also announced a criminal investigation into the March 2025 killing of 15 Palestinian medics.
However, it declined to open criminal investigations into three other incidents, including the April 2024 Israeli attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, among them Australian national Zomi Frankcom.
World Central Kitchen rejected the decision, saying it was inconsistent with the evidence. The aid workers were travelling in clearly marked vehicles and had shared their coordinates with the Israeli military.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision “falls far short of the accountability we expect”.
Questions over accountability
The latest investigation follows months of international calls for an independent inquiry into Hind’s killing.
In July 2024, UN-appointed independent experts said the lack of a proper investigation and accountability more than five months after Hind, six members of her family and two PRCS paramedics were killed was “deeply troubling”. They warned that failure to investigate could itself violate the right to life.
The Israeli military says its latest criminal investigation emerged from its review of 150 incidents. However, the Associated Press reported that only 0.17 per cent of previous Israeli military investigations resulted in prosecution.
The Hind Rajab case has also prompted legal action abroad. The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed complaints against Israeli soldiers in several countries, including Belgium, where authorities questioned two Israeli soldiers in July 2025 over alleged violations of international humanitarian law.
Israel’s admission that its forces fired on the vehicle therefore represents a significant change from its previous account of the incident. The investigation will determine whether criminal charges or prosecutions follow.
