Israeli Military Admits Soldiers Fired on Vehicle Carrying Palestinian Girl Hind Rajab

Jerusalem (Terror Monitor) — The Israeli military has acknowledged that its soldiers fired on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and members of her family in Gaza in 2024. The military has also announced a criminal investigation into the incident.

Hind Rajab’s death has become one of the most prominent cases involving the killing of civilians during Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, which began following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.

Hind was trapped inside the vehicle for several hours before she was killed. During that time, she used a mobile phone to plead with Palestinian emergency workers for help. Her aunt, uncle and three cousins had already been killed inside the vehicle.

A Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance was dispatched to rescue her, but shortly after reaching the area, contact was lost with both Hind and the ambulance crew.

Twelve days later, the bodies of Hind, her relatives and two ambulance workers were found at the site.

The Israeli military had previously denied that its forces were present in the area where Hind was killed.

However, on Wednesday, the military said that after an internal investigation lasting several months, it had determined that its soldiers had fired on the vehicle as it approached their position.

The military also said that a shell was later fired at a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance that had been sent to rescue Hind.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had decided to launch a criminal investigation following a review of the findings and amid alleged failures in coordinating the movement of the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.

The military also said its Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism had decided in March 2025 to open a criminal investigation into the deaths of 15 aid workers in another incident.

However, in three other cases, including the April 2024 killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, the military said it had found no basis for opening criminal investigations.

A film based on Hind Rajab’s death won an award at the Venice Film Festival and was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Speaking to Reuters at a camp for displaced people in Gaza City, Hind’s grandmother said that she and the girl’s family did not trust Israel’s judicial system.

“We hope justice will come from the whole world,” she said, appealing to the international justice system.

Israeli human rights organisations say criminal investigations into the deaths of Palestinians involving Israeli soldiers rarely result in convictions.

Dan Owen, a researcher at the Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, said that over the past decade only a “very small proportion” of investigations had resulted in indictments.

He said growing political pressure was increasingly preventing Israeli law-enforcement authorities from holding individuals accountable, even in cases where clear evidence existed.

The Israeli military says its operations target Hamas and Hezbollah fighters. It also investigates some incidents in which civilians, medical personnel, aid workers or journalists are killed.

According to Reuters, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war in Gaza began in 2023, while thousands of people have also been killed during Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon. The dead include aid workers, doctors, journalists and other civilians.

The Gaza ceasefire announced last October brought an end to large-scale fighting in the territory, but Israeli attacks have continued. Israel says its ongoing strikes are aimed at preventing potential attacks by Hamas and other armed groups operating in the Gaza Strip.

According to Gaza’s health authorities and the Israeli military, more than 1,200 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began.