Israeli Military Opens Criminal Probe After Admitting for First Time to Firing on Car Carrying 5-Year-Old Hind Rajab

The Israeli military acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that it opened fire on the vehicle carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza and announced a criminal investigation into the killing. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously denied involvement in the January 2024 incident, claiming months later in a preliminary review that its forces were not present near or within firing range of the vehicle.

This case is among two high-profile events now facing military criminal investigations. However, the military stated it would not probe three other early-war attacks that resulted in the deaths of aid workers. Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour criticized Israel's previous investigations as lacking independence and credibility, telling CNN’s Jim Sciutto that he doubts the current probe will differ.

Hind Rajab was one of seven family members traveling in a northern Gaza vehicle when it came under Israeli fire. Surviving the initial attack, she spent hours pleading on the phone with Palestinian paramedics for rescue. An ambulance dispatched to help her was subsequently fired upon as well. Twelve days later, her body was discovered in a bullet-riddled car.

The IDF stated that findings indicated troops fired at an approaching vehicle, and due to apparent coordination failures regarding the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, a Military Police Criminal Investigation Division probe was initiated. Meanwhile, the Hind Rajab Foundation argued that IDF investigations rarely result in meaningful prosecution or severe punishment.

The investigation forms part of the IDF's first comprehensive report on alleged war crimes since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023. The IDF General Staff’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism concluded 150 inquiries, transferring them to the top military lawyer. Five decisions were published on Wednesday, while others remain pending.

The IDF also launched a criminal investigation into the March 2025 killing of 15 paramedics and first responders traveling in emergency vehicles. Although the military initially claimed the vehicles traveled without headlights or signals, video evidence contradicted this. The IDF later acknowledged professional failures and noted that the firing raised reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.

Conversely, the military determined no criminal conduct occurred in three other incidents: the April 2024 killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian aid workers in Deir El-Balah, a February 2024 strike on a Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) shelter in Khan Younis that killed two employees, and a November 2023 MSF convoy strike that killed two more. World Central Kitchen and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong strongly condemned the decision not to pursue criminal proceedings for the strike that killed WCK employees, which included Australian national Zomi Frankcom.