The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have for the first time confirmed that gunfire which killed five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and six of her relatives in Gaza in 2024 was carried out by its soldiers.
The IDF also said it has decided to open a criminal investigation into the incident, including the deaths of two medical workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society who were sent to rescue Hind Rajab.
According to the Israeli military, the investigation found that soldiers opened fire on a vehicle travelling in violation of prior instructions issued to residents in the area.
According to the BBC, the military police criminal investigation department decided to launch a criminal investigation following alleged errors in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance.
Hind Rajab initially survived the attack and spent several hours speaking with Palestine Red Crescent Society telephone operators, pleading for help.
Following coordination with the Israeli military, an ambulance carrying medical workers Youssef al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun was sent to rescue her. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said the ambulance was later attacked, killing both medical workers.
The bodies of Hind Rajab and her relatives were discovered several days later.
The killing drew widespread international condemnation after recordings of Hind's emotional telephone calls pleading for help were circulated around the world. 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 investigation being conducted by the Israeli military. The foundation also questioned the credibility of Israel's internal accountability mechanisms.
However, the IDF said it investigates exceptional incidents occurring during combat in accordance with its obligations under Israeli and international law.
