Israeli military admits for first time to firing on car carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab as it opens criminal probe
Daftar Isi
IDF Admits for First Time It Fired on Hind Rajab’s Car
Earthguardiansonline.com – The Israeli military admits for the first time that its soldiers opened fire on the vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab, triggering a formal criminal probe. The revelation came alongside the publication of a sweeping war-crimes assessment by the IDF General Staff’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examined 150 incidents from the conflict’s opening months. Five formal rulings were released on Wednesday; the remaining 145 await a decision from the military advocate-general.
Of those five rulings, the most consequential reversed a position the IDF had held for months. Until Wednesday, the service had maintained that its forces were “not present near the vehicle or within firing range” when Rajab’s car came under attack. The new statement discarded that account entirely and directed the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division to open a criminal inquiry.
The Fate of Hind Rajab
In January 2024, Rajab was one of seven family members riding in a car through northern Gaza when the vehicle came under sustained Israeli fire. She survived the initial volley and, over several hours, called Palestinian paramedics on her phone, begging them to reach her. An ambulance was sent, but that vehicle too came under attack. Twelve days after the first shots, Rajab’s body was recovered from a car riddled with bullet holes.
Recordings of her desperate pleas spread across social media and became a global symbol of civilian loss in the war. A feature film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, earned an Academy Award nomination in 2026, keeping the incident in public consciousness long after the initial shock.
“The findings of the examination indicate that IDF troops fired at a vehicle that was approaching them. Following review of the findings and due to apparent 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.”
A Second Probe: March 2025 Paramedics’ Killing
The other criminal investigation announced Wednesday concerns the March 2025 deaths of 15 paramedics and first responders traveling in ambulances and emergency vehicles. The victims were buried in a mass grave alongside their wrecked vehicles. The IDF had originally claimed the convoy was moving “suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals, but video footage showed flashing lights fully activated. The military later conceded “professional failures” while insisting there were “no ethical gaps.” Wednesday’s statement went further, noting that “the firing conducted during the incident raises a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.”
Three Incidents Cleared Without Probe
The remaining three rulings found no reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct. They covered the April 2024 killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Deir El-Balah; a February 2024 strike on a Doctors Without Borders shelter in Khan Younis that killed two employees; and a November 2023 strike on an MSF convoy that killed two more. On the WCK attack, the IDF acknowledged “serious failures” in the process that led it to believe the convoy had been seized by Hamas, yet still declined a criminal probe. WCK publicly condemned the decision and called for accountability.
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that past Israeli military probes have been “not independent and not credible,” casting doubt on whether this investigation would differ. He added that a genuinely credible inquiry would result in the arrest of those responsible for Rajab’s killing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly did the Israeli military admit for the first time?
The IDF confirmed that its troops fired on the vehicle in which Hind Rajab was riding in January 2024, reversing an earlier internal finding that its forces were not near the vehicle or within firing range. A criminal investigation was opened by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.
How many incidents did the war-crimes report cover?
The Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism reviewed 150 incidents referred by the military’s top lawyer. Five formal decisions were published on Wednesday; the other 145 remain pending before the military advocate-general.
Was a criminal probe opened for the World Central Kitchen killings?
No. The IDF identified “serious failures” in how it concluded the WCK convoy had been taken by Hamas, but the advocate-general determined that no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct existed to warrant a probe. WCK disputed that conclusion.
