Hind Rajab killing: IDF fired on 5-year-old’s car in Gaza, Israel admits for first time, orders probe

Israel Confirms IDF Opened Fire on Vehicle Carrying Five-Year-Old Hind Rajab

Theindiapostdaily.com – For the first time, the Israeli armed forces acknowledged on 19 August that soldiers had discharged weapons toward a car transporting five-year-old Hind Rajab during the 2024 Gaza conflict. Alongside the admission, the military announced it was launching a criminal inquiry into the girl’s death, a case that had already provoked widespread international condemnation, according to AFP reporting.

The Military’s Account

In a statement relayed by CNN, the IDF stated: “The findings of the examination indicate that IDF troops fired at a vehicle that was approaching them.”

The statement elaborated that soldiers had “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them while travelling contrary to the advance notice” issued to local residents. As a consequence of that exchange, five occupants were killed and two survived: Hind Rajab and her cousin Layan Hamada.

The military further explained that after the girls contacted rescue services, a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance was dispatched to evacuate the wounded. However, the statement alleged: “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.”

Notably, the IDF had earlier maintained its personnel were not present near the location of the incident. Citing “alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance,” the service decided to refer the matter to its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, AFP reported.

What Happened to Hind Rajab

Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl from northern Gaza, was among seven family members inside a vehicle when it came under Israeli fire in January 2024. She survived the initial barrage and spent hours on a desperate phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent, begging for rescue while trapped beside the bodies of her relatives.

When an ambulance was finally sent to extract her, that vehicle too came under fire. Communications with the girl eventually cut out. Twelve days later, her body was recovered from a bullet-riddled car in Gaza City alongside those of six relatives and two Red Crescent rescue workers who had been dispatched to locate her.

Reaction from the Hind Rajab Foundation

The Brussels-based legal organisation working to document alleged Israeli violations in Gaza expressed skepticism about the probe. In a statement, it declared it had “no confidence” in the military’s decision and warned: “These reported investigations, even if they do occur, should not be mistaken for a genuine step toward justice.”

The foundation added that Israel’s internal review mechanisms were “fundamentally flawed and cannot be regarded as credible mechanisms of accountability.”

From Tragedy to Screen

The original audio of Hind’s emergency call was later woven into the Oscar-nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2025, drawing a 23-minute standing ovation—the longest of that year’s edition—and leaving audiences in tears. It subsequently received an ‘A’ certification from India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after initial delays and opened in Indian cinemas on June 19, 2026.

A Broader Pattern of Probes

The Hind Rajab matter is one of two high-profile cases now under criminal investigation by the military. In parallel, the service published reviews of four additional prominent incidents in Gaza and announced a criminal probe into the 2025 killings of 15 Palestinians, including medics and humanitarian workers—an episode that likewise drew sharp international condemnation.