Israeli Military Opens Criminal Probe Into Death of Hind Rajab
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed for the first time that military troops opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza in 2024. According to statements released by the military and reported by international outlets, the IDF is now opening a criminal investigation into the child’s death, the deaths of six of her relatives, and the killings of two paramedics who had been dispatched to rescue her.
Hind Rajab’s final moments were captured on a desperate telephone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic center, during which she stated that Israeli tanks were approaching their vehicle as they tried to flee Gaza City. That recording was subsequently broadcast globally, and the child’s story became the subject of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The Chronology of the 2024 Incident and the Red Crescent Calls
On January 29, 2024, Hind Rajab, her aunt, uncle, and four cousins attempted to escape an Israeli military invasion of their neighborhood in Gaza City. According to documentation from the Palestinian Red Crescent, Hind’s 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, managed to call emergency dispatchers while gunfire struck around them, reporting that an IDF tank was closing in before her line went dead amid screams.
Operator Rana Faqih stayed on the line with young Hind for several hours. Transcripts and recordings show the child pleading for rescue while sheltering inside the targeted vehicle. ‘Hide under the seats,’ operators instructed her, telling her not to let anyone see her while dispatchers attempted to coordinate safe passage for an ambulance with the Israeli military. Two paramedics, dispatched in an ambulance to reach the trapped child, lost contact with their base shortly after arriving in the area.
Twelve days later, search teams found the bodies of Hind, her five relatives, and the two dead paramedics inside the destroyed car and the nearby wreckage of their ambulance. Independent experts from the United Nations Human Rights Council subsequently stated that the killing might constitute a war crime. Rights organizations have since filed war crimes complaints with the International Criminal Court and requested indictments for specific soldiers identified as involved in the operation.
Hind’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, told the Associated Press that the newly announced Israeli military investigation falls short of true accountability. ‘An international investigation is required to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable,’ she said, calling for justice not only for her granddaughter but for all children killed during the conflict.
Military Findings and Scope of Ongoing Inquiries
While launching the criminal probe into the Rajab family and paramedic killings, the Israeli military stated that it would not pursue criminal investigations into three other high-profile attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders. According to the military’s official updates, reviews of 150 incidents concerning troop conduct in Gaza have been completed, with decisions rendered on five specific cases.
The military’s public statements did not address numerous other high-profile incidents that officials had previously pledged to examine. These unaddressed events include the August 2025 strikes on a southern Gaza hospital that resulted in the deaths of five journalists, including Mariam Da.