Israeli army opens criminal investigation into the death of Hind Rajab in Gaza

This announcement comes more than two years after the events and marks a new stage in a case that had caused strong international outrage. The Israeli army also acknowledged that its soldiers had fired on the vehicle in which the child and several members of her family were located. It had previously stated that its troops were not present near the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Hind Rajab was in a car with family members when the vehicle came under fire. After the death of her relatives, the then five-year-old girl remained alone and seriously injured in the vehicle. She then managed to contact the Palestinian Red Crescent services by phone.

For several hours, she asked operators for help, while a rescue team tried to organize her evacuation. An ambulance sent to the scene was also targeted. Two paramedics were killed while trying to reach the child.

The bodies of Hind Rajab and her relatives were finally found several days later. The announcement of the investigation follows several independent investigations that challenged the initial explanations provided by the Israeli army. Analyses based on satellite images, recordings, and examination of the scene had concluded the presence of Israeli armored vehicles near the car.

The army now recognizes that soldiers opened fi