The Israeli military has confirmed for the first time that its soldiers were responsible for the 2024 shooting that killed five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and six of her relatives in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said it has decided to open a criminal investigation into the incident, including the deaths of two Palestine Red Crescent doctors who were dispatched to rescue Hind.
According to the military, its investigation found that soldiers opened fire on a vehicle that was moving in a manner that violated prior warnings issued to residents in the area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its Military Police Criminal Investigation Department would investigate the incident, citing an alleged error in coordinating the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
Hind initially survived the attack and spent hours pleading with Palestine Red Crescent Society operators for help. An ambulance carrying doctors Yousef al-Seyno and Ahmed al-Madhoun was later dispatched following coordination with the Israeli army. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said the ambulance was subsequently attacked, killing both doctors.
The bodies of Hind and her relatives were discovered several days later.
The case attracted international condemnation after recordings of Hind’s desperate calls for help were released and circulated worldwide. Her story later became the subject of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation said it had no confidence in the Israeli military’s investigation and questioned the credibility of Israel’s internal accountability mechanisms.
The IDF, however, said it investigates “exceptional incidents” occurring during critical combat operations in accordance with its obligations under Israeli and international law.
