Israel Army Admits Firing on Car in Killing of Five-Year-Old Hind Rajab
Published On 20 Aug, 2026
Hind Rajab’s body was recovered from a car riddled with bullets in Gaza City days after she was last heard from in a desperate, hours-long phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent on January 29, 2024.
The Israeli military had previously denied its troops were present in the area near the incident.
“Following review of the findings and due to alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the military said on Wednesday.
The military also published reviews into four other high-profile incidents in Gaza, saying it was launching a criminal probe into the 2025 killing of 15 Palestinian medics and humanitarian personnel.
Hind Rajab had made the emergency call after her family’s car came under fire during an attempt to flee Gaza City amid an Israeli advance.
Her body was eventually recovered along with those of six relatives and two Red Crescent rescuers sent to find her.
Her death sparked international outrage and calls for an independent investigation, and the original audio recordings of her emergency call were incorporated into the Oscar-nominated feature film “The Voice of Hind Rajab”.
– Firing at vehicle –
The Israeli military said its findings indicated troops had “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them while travelling contrary to the advance notice” that had been given to residents in the area.
It said the initial fire killed five of the passengers, while Hind Rajab and her cousin Layan Hamada survived.
The military said the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance had then been coordinated in order to evacuate the casualties.
“However upon the ambulance’s arrival at the scene of the incident, a shell was fired toward it, resulting in the deaths of the two paramedics travelling in it,” it added.
“Israel thoroughly investigates claims of misconduct, including amid the harrowing war against the jihadi organizations,” it said.
