The Israeli regime has accepted responsibility for killing five-year-old Hind Rajab in 2024 and officially opened a criminal investigation, after previously denying that IDF forces were present at the time.
Israel had previously said in the two years following the killing that its forces “were not present near the vehicle or within firing range.”
Rajab was one of seven family members travelling in a vehicle in northern Gaza in January 2025 when Israeli forces opened fire on them. The family were fleeing their neighbourhood in Gaza City whilst Rajab’s uncle was driving.
Rajab’s mother, Wissam Hamada, had been separated from her young daughter after leaving the area on foot earlier that day.
Israeli forces then struck the vehicle with over 300 bullets, instantly killing six of Rajab’s relatives in the car, including her 15-year-old cousin Layan, who had managed to communicate with emergency services before she was fatally shot.
“I’m so scared… please come.”
Hind survived the initial shooting, whilst all her other family members lay dead around her.
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She then pleaded with the Palestinian Red Crescent for several hours for rescuers to come to her aid.
In her final moments, Hind begged for her mother, pleading: “Don’t leave me alone, Mama. I am tired. I am thirsty. And I am wounded.”
Even an ambulance dispatched to save her came under fire.
Hind’s body was found and retrieved 12 days later in a car riddled with bullet holes, with her final moments on the phone with the Palestinian Red Crescent having been recorded.
The dispatched ambulance, despite receiving explicit clearance from the Israeli military, was struck by a 120mm tank round, killing the two medics inside instantly.
Family reject investigation
Hind’s grandmother said the family have no confidence in the Israeli military investigation and justice system following the army’s announcement of its investigation.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, she said the family believes the civilian vehicle carrying Hind was deliberately targeted.
She said the family’s demand for accountability goes beyond Hind’s case and should cover all children killed in Gaza during Israel’s genocidal war.
The Hind Rajab Foundation also rejected the credibility of the Israeli probe, saying it should not be regarded as a genuine step toward justice even if it finds Israel guilty of war crimes.
