IDF confirms criminal investigation into killing of 5 year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza

The Israeli army has launched a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza, following widespread international condemnation of her death.

Hind was among seven members of her Palestinian family traveling in a vehicle that came under Israeli fire in Gaza City in January 2024.

The attack killed most of her family, but Hind initially survived.

A recording of her desperate calls to paramedics was broadcast worldwide.

Days later, Hind’s body was discovered alongside her relatives and the two paramedics who had tried to rescue her.

The paramedics, Youssef Zeino and Ahmed Madhoon, had gone missing after heavy gunfire was heard as they approached the vehicle.

An earlier investigation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that no Israeli troops were in the area at the time.

However, in a new statement, the IDF said that “following a review of the findings” and “due to alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.”

Israel’s Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) is the country’s main body for investigating allegations of wrongdoing by the military.

A phone call recorded by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on the day of the shooting revealed that Hind and her cousin were the only survivors in the vehicle.

As the hours passed, only Hind’s voice could be heard pleading: “Come and get me… I’m so scared, please come.”

Twelve days after the attack, Hind, her six relatives, and the paramedics were found dead.