Israel admits firing on car carrying Hind Rajab, symbol of Gaza’s suffering 

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, the 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.

Palestinian Red Crescent 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.

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.”

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 World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.

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, “People here who are hearing about the investigation are sceptical that it will bring any justice to Hind and her family.”