Israel Military Opens Criminal Probe Into Killing Of Hind Rajab

Israel Military Opens Criminal Probe Into Killing of Hind Rajab

The Israeli military has acknowledged for the first time that its troops fired on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza in January 2024, reversing earlier claims that Israeli forces were not involved. The Israel Defense Forces IDF has now ordered a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Rajab’s death and the deaths of two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics who were sent to rescue her Rajab was travelling with relatives when their vehicle came under heavy fire. She survived the initial attack and was left trapped inside the car after other family members were killed. During several hours on the phone with Palestinian Red Crescent emergency workers, Rajab pleaded for help. An ambulance was eventually dispatched to rescue her, but the rescuers also came under fire. Rajab, her relatives and the two paramedics were found dead 12 days later. The case generated international outrage, particularly after recordings of Rajab’s desperate calls for assistance became public. The latest announcement marks a significant change from the Israeli military’s earlier position that its forces had not been near the vehicle or within firing range. The IDF’s decision followed an examination by its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which reviewed five incidents involving Palestinian deaths. Two cases including Rajab’s death were referred for criminal investigation, while three others were closed without criminal proceedings.

The military has also opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of 15 Palestinian emergency and aid workers in Rafah in March 2025.

However, it declined to open a criminal investigation into the April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, saying the commanders’ decisions did not create reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. Human rights organisations have welcomed the decision to investigate but questioned whether Israel’s internal military justice system will ultimately deliver accountability. Israeli rights group Yesh Din said criminal investigations into alleged misconduct by Israeli troops rarely result in indictments or meaningful sentences. Rajab’s family has also called for an independent international investigation, arguing that an internal military inquiry is insufficient. The investigation represents a major shift in the official Israeli account of one of the most widely publicised civilian deaths of the Gaza war. It could provide new evidence about the circumstances surrounding Rajab’s death and the attack on the ambulance sent to save her. More than two years after Hind Rajab was killed, the Israeli military has acknowledged that its troops fired on the car carrying her and has opened a criminal probe—a significant reversal of its earlier denial of involvement.