The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has, for the first time, confirmed that its soldiers fired on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in Gaza in 2026. This admission comes after extensive international scrutiny and condemnation following the tragic incident.
The revelation has reignited debates about accountability and justice in the ongoing conflict, with human rights organizations and international bodies closely monitoring the situation.
The Tragic Incident and Its Aftermath
Hind Rajab initially survived the attack and made a desperate phone call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help. The call lasted for hours, during which Hind described seeing tanks approaching her vehicle. Operators instructed her to hide under the seats, pleading, “Don’t let anyone see you.”
Operator Rana Faqih remained on the line with Hind, who repeatedly begged for rescue. “At one point, she told me it was getting dark,” Faqih recounted. “She was scared. She asked me how far away my house was. I felt paralysed and helpless.”
After three hours, an ambulance was finally cleared to approach the area. The crew, Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, notified operators that they were nearing the location. However, the line disconnected abruptly, and neither the paramedics nor Hind were heard from again. The PRCS later confirmed that the ambulance was bombed by Israeli forces, killing both paramedics.
International Condemnation and Investigations
The IDF announced it would open a criminal investigation into the killings of Hind, her family, and the paramedics, as well as the deaths of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker, in. The IDF stated that the findings of its examination “indicate that IDF troops fired at a vehicle” that was “travelling contrary to the advanced notice that had been published in an announcement by the IDF Spokesperson to residents of the area.”
The Hind Rajab Foundation, based in Brussels, expressed “no confidence” in the investigation, stating that Israel’s internal investigations are “fundamentally flawed and cannot be regarded as credible mechanisms of accountability.”
The UN cited Hind’s case in a commission of inquiry, accusing Israel of war crimes, which it denies. The story was also made into an Oscar-nominated film called The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The Broader Context of Accountability
The IDF’s statement highlighted the complex operational reality of its missions, noting that it examines exceptional incidents that occurred during combat. However, Israeli rights groups argue that criminal investigations of Israeli forces rarely lead to convictions. Ziv Stahl, executive director of Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, noted that “almost no indictments are filed in relation to the number of complaints against soldiers and commanders for offences committed.”
In three other cases, including the killing of seven World Central Kitchen employees in Deir al-Balah two years ago, and four employees of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the IDF said it had not found grounds for criminal investigations. World Central Kitchen strongly condemned the Israeli military prosecutor’s account of the deaths of its seven colleagues and demanded an independent investigation.
This is the first time a comprehensive IDF report on alleged war crimes has been published since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7. More than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign, including about 1,200 since a ceasefire was announced last October, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
