More than two years after the death of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, the Israeli military has acknowledged for the first time that its troops fired on the vehicle in which the five-year-old was trapped, and has ordered a criminal investigation into the incident.
Hind was killed in Gaza in January 2024 after the car carrying her and members of her family came under heavy gunfire.
The admission marks a significant change from Israel’s earlier position that its forces were not operating in the area at the time of the incident.
Hind’s desperate call for help
On January 29, 2024, Hind was travelling with six relatives in a car attempting to flee the fighting in Gaza City.
The vehicle came under fire, killing most of the people inside.
Hind survived the initial attack but became trapped inside the bullet-riddled vehicle alongside the bodies of her relatives.
She then made a desperate call to the Palestinian Red Crescent, pleading with emergency workers to come and rescue her.
During the call, Hind told the operator that an Israeli tank was nearby and repeatedly expressed her fear.
Her conversation with the emergency service lasted for hours, and recordings of the calls later spread around the world.
At one point, the terrified child pleaded for someone to come and get her.
The call eventually ended after further gunfire was heard.
Ambulance sent to rescue her was also attacked
The Palestinian Red Crescent dispatched an ambulance to reach Hind.
According to the Israeli military’s latest account, the ambulance was also attacked after it arrived in the area.
Two Palestinian paramedics inside the ambulance were killed.
Hind’s body and the bodies of her relatives were eventually discovered 12 days later.
The two paramedics were also found dead near the scene.
Investigations by independent researchers had previously found evidence indicating that Israeli forces were operating near the vehicle.
Forensic Architecture and Earshot conducted an extensive analysis of the incident, including audio, satellite imagery and other evidence. Their findings were consistent with the use of Israeli military weaponry in the attack.
Israel now opens criminal investigation
The Israeli military said Wednesday that, following a review of the case, it had decided to initiate a criminal investigation.
The investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the vehicle and the subsequent incident involving the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.
The military cited alleged failures in coordinating the ambulance’s movement as part of the reason for opening the investigation.
The decision followed a broader review by an Israeli military fact-finding mechanism that examined around 150 incidents involving alleged misconduct during the Gaza war.
Only two cases were recommended for criminal investigation, including the Hind Rajab incident and the 2025 killing of 15 Palestinian rescue workers.
A case that became a symbol of Gaza’s civilian suffering
Hind’s death became one of the most widely known individual cases involving children killed during the Gaza war.
Her final phone call, in which she begged emergency workers for help while trapped inside the car, generated international outrage and became a symbol of the plight of Palestinian civilians caught in the conflict.
The case has also been the subject of international legal efforts.
The Hind Rajab Foundation has previously filed complaints seeking accountability for those it says were responsible for the attack. The organisation has identified Israeli military commanders it alleges were involved and has pursued cases through international and national legal channels.
Her story was also portrayed in the film The Voice of Hind Rajab, bringing renewed international attention to the case.
Questions over accountability
The announcement of an Israeli criminal investigation has been welcomed as a significant development by those seeking accountability, but rights groups and advocates remain skeptical about whether an internal military investigation will result in prosecutions.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticized Israel’s record in investigating alleged violations by its forces, arguing that relatively few investigations result in indictments or convictions.
The latest admission nevertheless represents a major shift in the official account of Hind’s death.
For more than two years, the question of whether Israeli troops were responsible for the gunfire had remained disputed.
Israel’s military now acknowledges that its forces fired on the vehicle carrying Hind and her family.
The criminal investigation will determine whether individual soldiers or commanders should face criminal consequences for what happened.
For Hind’s family and those who have campaigned for justice, the central question now is whether the investigation will finally establish responsibility for the deaths of the child, her relatives and the paramedics who tried to save her.