The death of five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza during the war was nothing short of tragic — and now, roughly two and a half years after the massacre, Israel has admitted that the vehicle she was traveling in was struck by 335 bullets in an IDF operation. The Israeli Defense Forces stated that a criminal investigation into the incident will be opened.
Hind had survived the initial attack and, huddled in the trunk of the car, managed to speak by phone with members of the Palestinian Red Crescent — a call that was placed after the first burst of gunfire. The conversation lasted for a considerable time, even as several of her relatives in the vehicle had already died, and it continued as an ambulance made its way to the scene. The paramedics were unable to reach the car, despite the organization having received clearance from the Israeli military — the ambulance was bombed and two medics were killed. The phone call was ultimately cut off by a fresh volley of gunfire. Hind’s lifeless body was found 12 days later, alongside those of her relatives.
Failures in coordination
The breakdown in communication that occurred after the Israeli military had granted its clearance will now be examined. “Due to alleged failures in the coordination of the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance’s movement, it was decided to open a criminal investigation into the incident through the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the IDF stated. According to the military, soldiers opened fire as the vehicle approached their forces. The car, according to the IDF, “was traveling in the opposite direction from the evacuation route” that the Israeli military had publicly designated for residents of the area.
The admission exposed the lie that had been constructed — namely, that no IDF forces were present in the area at the time of the attack. The contradiction was immediately challenged, and it was further undermined by a subsequent statement acknowledging that “we had conducted raids against terrorist targets” with forces operating in neighborhoods of Gaza City — including Tel al-Hawa, where Hind was located. The incident sparked global outrage when the recording of her phone call was made public, and the documentary film titled The Voice of Hind Rajab went on to receive an Oscar nomination.
15 other incidents under investigation
In addition to the criminal investigation into Hind’s killing and that of her family, the IDF will also investigate the deaths of 15 Palestinians in March 2025, among them medical personnel and a UN employee, near Rafah in southern Gaza. In three other cases — involving the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers in Deir al-Balah in April 2024, as well as four Médecins Sans Frontières staff killed in two separate incidents in November 2024 and February 2024 — the IDF stated that it found no grounds for criminal investigations.
The IDF is under mounting pressure to demonstrate that it conducts internal investigations, in an effort to ward off international legal action — primarily from the International Criminal Court. Its goal is to push back against accusations that it has committed war crimes and that impunity prevails within its ranks.
