Israel admits shooting at car carrying Hind Rajab, opens criminal investigation

More than two years after the killing of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab shocked the world, the Israeli military has formally acknowledged that it opened fire on the civilian car in which she was trapped and announced a criminal investigation — after years of denial and intense international pressure.

What happened to Hind Rajab?

On January 29, 2024, Hind Rajab and her family were following Israeli evacuation orders, fleeing their neighborhood in Gaza City in a black Kia driven by her uncle. Her mother, Wissam Hamada, had been separated from her daughter after leaving the area on foot earlier that fateful day.

As they traveled along dangerous roads, Israeli forces fired more than 300 bullets into the vehicle, killing six relatives on the spot — including her 15-year-old cousin Layan, who had managed to contact an emergency dispatcher before being hit.

Wounded and surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, Hind Rajab survived for hours, whispering desperate pleas for help over the phone to a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) operator: “I'm so scared… Please come save me.” In her final moments, she also begged her mother over the phone: “Don't leave me alone, Mom. I'm tired, I'm thirsty, and I'm injured.”

The double-tap attack

Palestinian medics dispatched a clearly marked ambulance to rescue the sole survivor, after receiving explicit permission from COGAT, a unit of the Israeli military. Despite this coordination, the ambulance was struck by a 120mm shell, killing both medics instantly.

An analysis by the global campaign group Avaaz found that roughly three hours elapsed between the initial shooting and the attack on the ambulance, indicating Israeli forces had ample time to assess the situation and make decisions. Avaaz concluded there was significant evidence of a deliberate “double-tap” tactic — a first strike followed by a second targeting rescuers — and noted that Israel issued no warning before firing on medical personnel.

Sarah Andrew, Avaaz's legal director, stressed that the timing and weaponry prove this was a calculated attack: “I firmly believe this is another case of a double-tap attack.” Around 7:30 p.m. that evening, Hind Rajab died from her wounds, still trapped in the car among the bodies of her relatives.

The perpetrators exposed

Israel initially denied involvement, claiming its troops were not in the area, then suggested that 335 bullet holes in the car resulted from crossfire with Palestinian gunmen. However, a special Al Jazeera documentary titled “Ma Khafiya Aatham” (The Tip of the Iceberg), produced in cooperation with the Hind Rajab Foundation, broke the impasse by publishing new evidence.

Using satellite imagery and acoustic analysis alongside the multidisciplinary group Forensic Architecture, the investigation identified multiple Israeli Merkava tanks positioned right next to the Hind family's car, and found no evidence of an armed exchange. The investigation pointed to a unit called “Vampire Empire” headed by Major Sean Glass, belonging to the 52nd Armored Battalion commanded by Colonel Daniel Ella, as directly responsible for the killings and for staging the scene. The overall commander of the tanks present was Lieutenant Colonel Beni Aharon of the 401st Armored Brigade.

Belated acknowledgment

On May 3, 2025 — coinciding with what would have been Hind's seventh birthday — the Hind Rajab Foundation filed a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The complaint targeted Lt. Col. Aharon and paved the way for additional suits against battalion officers in national courts.

After intense international pressure and a review of 150 cases of soldier conduct, the Israeli military announced a criminal investigation into the killings, marking the first time Israel officially acknowledged opening fire on the family's vehicle. The military said soldiers shot at a car approaching them, and cited “errors” in coordinating the PRCS ambulance's movement.

Justice remains elusive

Human rights groups and the victims' family dismissed Israel's internal investigation as providing only an illusion of accountability. Hind's grandmother, Hind Hamada Rajab, said she has no faith in either the investigations or the Israeli justice system, demanding an independent international inquiry into the killing of her granddaughter and family.

She also told the Associated Press that their demand extends beyond Hind Rajab to include justice for all Palestinian children killed in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, insisting the attack on the civilian car was intentional. Meanwhile, Hind's mother, Wissam Hamada, continues to travel to cities around the world to speak about the unimaginable impact of Israel's war on children, although she cannot watch the Oscar-nominated documentary about her daughter's death because hearing her voice is still too painful.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, also expressed the view that the entire system has always been complicit in Israel's crimes: “We do not trust the Israeli justice system, not because of an ideological stance, but because of its track record.” Echoing that skepticism, Dan Owen, a researcher at the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, noted that only “a very small percentage” of investigations have led to indictments over the past decade, and added that growing political pressure has made Israeli law enforcement agencies even more reluctant to hold perpetrators accountable, even when evidence is clear.