Israel announces criminal investigation into killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab

The Israeli military announced this week that it will launch a criminal investigation into the January 29, 2024 killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza City, following years of denial and international scrutiny.

On that date, Rajab and her family attempted to flee their neighborhood in Gaza City in a black Kia car driven by her uncle, following Israeli evacuation orders. Her mother, Wissam Hamada, had been separated from her daughter after leaving the area on foot earlier that day. Israeli forces fired more than 300 bullets into the vehicle, killing six of Rajab's relatives, including her 15-year-old cousin.

The Israeli military this week admitted to firing at the family's car as it fled an Israeli invasion and firing toward an ambulance dispatched to help those inside. The announcement came after the military examined 150 episodes related to troop conduct in Gaza. Of those cases, five resulted in decisions: two were designated for criminal investigation, while three other cases involving deaths of humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen and Médecins Sans Frontières were determined not to warrant criminal investigations.

Rajab's case gained international prominence through a widely publicized recording of a phone call she made to her mother and emergency dispatchers during the incident. In the recording, she pleaded for help. Her mother, Wesam Hamada, said the memory of her daughter's voice continues to affect her. "All I remember is her voice pleading, 'Mama, I'm scared. Mama, I'm hungry. Mama, I'm hurt,'" she said. "Her voice keeps repeating in my ears."

Hamada stated that an Israeli military investigation is insufficient and called for an independent inquiry into her daughter's death. She has not indicated acceptance of the military's announced investigation as adequate.

Rajab's death became the subject of a film that won the Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, drawing further international attention to the case.