Israel admits firing on car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab, opens probe

More than two years after Hind Rajab was killed, becoming a symbol of the suffering of children in Gaza, Israel’s military, long accused of the atrocity, has announced a criminal investigation into the death of the five-year-old girl.

At first, Israel denied that its soldiers were even in the area where she was killed. After journalistic investigations, including by Al Jazeera, Israel’s army said it had raided “terror targets” in Gaza City that day. In January this year, Israeli officials said they were reviewing the case.

The military said in a statement on Wednesday that the criminal investigation into Rajab’s killing was decided on following a review of the findings “and due to alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance”.

On January 29, 2024, at about 7:30pm, Rajab died of her injuries while she was trapped in a car surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, after her family was forcibly displaced hours earlier from Gaza City. They had attempted to follow Israeli orders to leave, but on their way, Israel’s army fired more than 300 bullets at the black Kia driven by Rajab’s uncle. Her 15-year-old cousin Layan was also in the car and spoke to Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) workers by phone before she was killed.

PRCS workers attempted to save Rajab, but were blocked from reaching her by Israeli forces. Palestinian paramedics dispatched an ambulance to rescue the child, the sole survivor, and stayed on the line until contact was lost.

The military said on Wednesday that troops had “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them”. It is the first time Israel has admitted shooting at the car.

But criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli ⁠troops over the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions.

‘Complicit’

Decades of Israeli crimes against Palestinians have not delivered any serious form of justice, according to the president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, Dyab Abou JahJah, who does not believe this case will change that.

The foundation said it had no confidence in Israel’s decision to launch a criminal probe into Rajab’s killing.

“We do not trust the Israeli justice system, not out of an ideological position, but because of the track record,” Abou Jahjah told Al Jazeera. “And in this particular case, the Israeli justice system as a whole has always been complicit in Israeli crimes.”

Rajab’s grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, told The Associated Press news agency by phone that the Israeli investigation is not enough, and called for an international probe into the killing of her granddaughter and all of the thousands of children killed in Gaza during the war.

“An international investigation is required to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable,” she said. “We call for justice, not only for Hind, but for all Gaza children.”

Rajab’s last words, her recorded pleas for help by phone, were widely shared on social media and led to international condemnation. A 2024 Al Jazeera investigation into the killing of Rajab and her family revealed that an Israeli tank was likely 13 to 23 metres (43 to 75ft) away and would have clearly seen the civilians inside the car. A docu-drama on the killing of Hind Rajab was nominated at the 2026 Oscars for best international feature film.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting in Gaza, said this sentiment is shared among Palestinians. “People here who are hearing about the investigation are sceptical that it will bring any justice to Hind and her family,” he said.

‘Intentional’ killings

Announcing its first criminal probes of troop conduct in Gaza, Israel’s military said the case of Rajab and her family members in early 2024 would be reviewed, as well as the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in March 2025. Both incidents gained international attention.

The announcement followed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct during Israel’s war on Gaza, it said, but added that the military would not launch criminal investigations into three other attacks that killed aid workers from the World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.

“The decision is inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive,” World Central Kitchen wrote on its website, disagreeing with the statement by the Israeli forces.

Israel “knew that our team in Gaza was unarmed,” said the non-profit, which provides people in need with fresh food. “The military investigation conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame for the [Israeli army’s] illegal conduct.”

Australia on Thursday summoned Israel’s ambassador over the decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the World Central Kitchen killings. Australian national Zomi Frankcom was among those killed.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision “falls far short of the accountability we expect”, adding that Australia was “outraged” by it.

In April 2024, seven international aid workers and a Palestinian driver were killed by three Israeli air strikes, despite driving in clearly marked cars and sharing their coordinates with the Israeli army.

An Al Jazeera investigation revealed the killings were intentional, directly opposing statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that described the targeting as “unintentional”.