Israeli military admits for first time to firing on car carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab as it opens criminal probe
Israeli Military Admits Firing on Rajab Car
Activelifezero.com – The Israeli military admitted for the first time since the Gaza war began in October 2023 that its soldiers opened fire on the vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab in northern Gaza. Alongside that admission, the IDF announced a full criminal investigation into the January 2024 killing — a stark reversal from earlier public statements asserting that no troops were present near the scene.
The announcement formed part of the IDF’s first comprehensive accounting of alleged war crimes since the conflict erupted. The General Staff’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism completed reviews of 150 separate incidents and forwarded them to the military’s top lawyer for determination on whether criminal proceedings should follow. Five formal decisions were released on Wednesday; the remaining 145 await a ruling from the military advocate-general.
What Changed in the Rajab Case
Months after the shooting, the IDF had told the public that a preliminary review concluded its forces were “not present near the vehicle or within firing range.” That position now stands overturned. In a statement issued Wednesday, the military said:
“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.”
Rajab was traveling with six other family members when their car came under fire. She survived the initial barrage and spent hours on the phone begging Palestinian paramedics to reach her. An ambulance was dispatched, but that vehicle too was struck. Twelve days after the first shooting, her body was recovered from a car pocked with bullet holes.
The audio recording of Rajab’s desperate pleas for rescue spread across the world, galvanizing demands for accountability over her death and over the fate of thousands of other children caught in the crossfire. A feature film built around the incident, titled The Voice of Hind Rajab, received an Academy Award nomination in 2026, keeping the case in the global spotlight long after the initial shock.
Paramedics’ Convoy and Remaining Cases
The second criminal investigation announced Wednesday concerns the March 2025 killing of fifteen paramedics and first responders traveling in ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The IDF had initially described the convoy as behaving suspiciously — allegedly moving without headlights or emergency signals. Video later showed the vehicles traveling with flashing lights fully activated. The responders were interred in a mass grave alongside their wrecked emergency vehicles.
The military later conceded “professional failures” in handling the incident while insisting there had been “no ethical gaps.” On Wednesday, however, the tone shifted further: “The firing conducted during the incident raises a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.”
Three additional high-profile killings did not earn a criminal investigation. The military determined there was insufficient reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct in the April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Deir El-Balah; a February 2024 airstrike 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 staff members. In the WCK case, the IDF acknowledged “serious failures” in the internal process that led soldiers to believe the humanitarian convoy had been seized by Hamas fighters, yet concluded those failures did not cross the threshold into criminal misconduct. WCK blasted the decision.
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour dismissed the credibility of Israeli military investigations broadly, calling past probes “not independent and not credible.” Speaking to CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Mansour said he did not expect this round of inquiries to differ in character or outcome. In his view, a genuinely credible investigation into Rajab’s death would culminate in the arrest of those directly responsible.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Israeli military admit for the first time that it fired on Hind Rajab’s vehicle? The admission came in a statement released on Wednesday, as part of the IDF’s first comprehensive accounting of alleged war crimes since October 2023.
What type of investigation is now underway? The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division will conduct a full criminal probe into the January 2024 shooting. A second criminal investigation covers the March 2025 killing of fifteen paramedics.
Why were three other high-profile killings excluded from criminal review? The military advocate-general concluded there was insufficient reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the WCK, MSF shelter, and MSF convoy incidents, despite acknowledging procedural failures in at least one case.
What happened to Hind Rajab after the initial shooting? She survived the first barrage, called for help over the phone for hours, and was eventually reached by an ambulance that was itself struck. Her body was recovered twelve days later.
