Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday (August 19) that they will launch a criminal investigation into two attacks on Palestinians during the Gaza war, one of which in 2024 resulted in the deaths of 5-year-old girl Hind Rajab and her family.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces stated that as part of their obligations “under international law and Israeli domestic law,” they will conduct investigations into “abnormal events that occurred during combat.”
The IDF admitted that in January 2024, Israeli forces fired at the car carrying the Rajab family who were trying to evacuate Gaza City. Layan Hamada, Hind Rajab’s 15-year-old cousin who was in the car at the time, called the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency center to report that her family had been killed, and she and her cousin were in danger. According to a recording kept by the Red Crescent, seconds later, more gunshots were heard and Layan’s screams abruptly stopped.
Palestinian paramedics immediately dispatched an ambulance to rescue Hind and maintained communication with her until the contact was lost. It was 12 days later when Hind, her five family members, and two paramedics on the ambulance were found dead.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces acknowledged that their soldiers had fired at the ambulance, resulting in the deaths of two paramedics.
The IDF stated, “After reviewing the investigation results, considering the alleged errors in coordinating this action by the Palestinian Red Crescent, the Israeli Defense Forces have decided to launch a criminal investigation into this incident.”
The killing of Hind Rajab has garnered widespread international attention. A documentary depicting this event titled “The Voice of Hind Rajab” has won international awards and received an Oscar nomination.
The Israeli military also announced that they will conduct a criminal investigation into an attack in March 2025 that resulted in the deaths of 15 people in Gaza, including Palestinian medical personnel involved in the rescue efforts.
According to the IDF’s statement on Wednesday, since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, triggering the Gaza war, their “Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism” has completed investigations into approximately 150 incidents and transferred these cases to the military prosecution department for review. The military prosecution has made rulings in five of these cases.