Israel Opens Criminal Probe Into Soldiers Who Killed 5-Year-Old Hind Rajab

The Israeli military said Wednesday it will open a criminal investigation into the killing of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, confirming for the first time that its soldiers fired on the car she was riding in in Gaza City in January 2024. Hind and six relatives died in the attack, along with two paramedics sent to rescue her.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said its review found that troops "fired at a vehicle" that was "traveling contrary to the advanced notice" the military had issued to residents in the area. Five of the six passengers were killed instantly, the IDF said; Hind and her cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamada, survived the initial gunfire. The military said it is investigating "alleged failures in the coordination" of a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance that was later hit by a shell, killing the two paramedics inside, identified as Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun.

Hind's case drew global attention after a recording of her hours-long call pleading for rescue was broadcast worldwide, and it was later dramatized in the Oscar-nominated film "The Voice of Hind Rajab." The military had initially said no troops were in the area at the time, an account it later walked back, according to BBC News.

A Second Investigation, and Three Cases Closed

The IDF also said it would open a criminal investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medics, rescue workers and a United Nations employee in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah in March 2025. Their bodies were found buried in shallow graves alongside crushed vehicles a week after they were killed, France 24 reported. The military initially said its troops had fired on