Israel has admitted for the first time that its soldiers shot at the vehicle of a 5-year-old girl in the Gaza Strip in 2024, resulting in her death along with six relatives, and has ordered a criminal investigation.
On Wednesday, 19 Aug 2026 GMT+7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged for the first time that their soldiers fired at the car of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, killing her and six relatives in Gaza in 2024, and have ordered a criminal probe into this and also the killing of 15 Palestinians in March 2025.
In that incident, Hind Rajab initially survived and called for help from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for several hours. Despite coordination approval with the Israeli military, the ambulance was fired upon, killing two emergency workers. Hind Rajab’s body was found later.
Initially, the IDF denied any personnel were in the area but later admitted soldiers did shoot at the vehicle, claiming it moved contrary to prior warnings. They stated an investigation is underway due to allegations of coordination failures with PRCS.
Additionally, the IDF has ordered a further criminal investigation into soldiers shooting at convoys of ambulances, fire trucks, and UN vehicles in Rafah, southern Gaza, which caused 15 deaths in March 2025 after video footage from a deceased emergency worker’s phone contradicted the IDF’s original claim that the vehicle was moving with lights off in darkness.
Meanwhile, the IDF decided not to open criminal investigations into the killings of seven World Central Kitchen staff and four Doctors Without Borders personnel, citing insufficient evidence.
The death of Hind Rajab shocked the world and inspired an Oscar-nominated film titled The Voice of Hind Rajab, while the United Nations cited this case as an example in war crimes charges.
Analysts and human rights groups see the IDF’s admissions as attempts to show self-scrutiny and reduce pressure from the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, Israeli human rights group Yesh Din notes that investigations rarely lead to real punishments or when they do, penalties are usually too lenient.
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Source:bbc