Israeli Army Orders Criminal Probe Into Killing of Palestinian Child Hind Rajab

The Israeli army has ordered a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza City in January 2024. The decision comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a review of findings regarding alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance. This marks the first time the IDF has admitted that its forces fired on the vehicle carrying Hind and her family, who were fleeing bombing during the conflict.

In a statement, the IDF confirmed that the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division would lead the inquiry. The military cited "alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance" as the primary driver for opening the criminal case. Previously, the IDF had stated that its initial investigation suggested no Israeli troops were in the area at the time of the incident, a position that has now been formally revised.

Hind Rajab was one of seven family members travelling in a vehicle that came under Israeli fire while attempting to escape the violence in Gaza City. She initially survived the attack that killed several of her relatives. However, her body was recovered days later, alongside those of her family members and two paramedics who had attempted to reach her.

The incident gained international condemnation after a recording of Hind’s desperate calls to paramedics was broadcast globally. The five-year-old managed to answer a callback from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and the conversation lasted for hours. Her pleas for rescue ended when the phone line was cut amid the sound of more gunfire.

The ambulance attempting to reach Hind was also shelled, preventing the paramedics from providing aid. The bodies of Hind, her relatives, and the ambulance crew were subsequently found. The investigation now seeks to determine the extent of the coordination failures that contributed to the outcome of the incident.