Israel’s military said on Wednesday it would open a criminal investigation into the 2024 killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
Rajab was killed in January 2024 while fleeing Gaza City with members of her family. Her vehicle came under fire, according to Palestinian accounts, and she remained trapped inside for days. Her body was found 12 days later after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. Six members of her family and two paramedics who had gone to rescue them were also killed.
Forensic Architecture and audio investigations group Earshot said they identified 335 bullet holes in the vehicle.
The case drew international attention and became a symbol of the risks faced by children during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Israel has previously denied that its forces were responsible. A preliminary military investigation said Israeli troops were not near the vehicle and were outside firing range at the time of the incident, CNN reported.
The military also said on Wednesday it would investigate the deaths of 15 paramedics killed in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in March 2025.
Israeli forces opened fire on emergency vehicles as they responded to casualties from an Israeli operation, according to Palestinian and international accounts. The bodies were later found in a mass grave, which had been covered with earth by heavy equipment. U.N. personnel and rescue workers recovered the bodies about a week later.
Israel initially said its forces had fired because the vehicles were approaching in a suspicious manner without headlights or emergency signals. That account was later challenged by video footage showing the vehicles moving slowly with emergency lights operating and medical markings visible.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with an extensive air and ground offensive that has killed more than 73,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.
A U.N. commission of inquiry said in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding rejected by Israel. In a subsequent report, the commission said Israeli forces had deliberately targeted Palestinian children and cited Rajab’s killing as an example of acts it considered part of the alleged genocidal campaign.
Israel has rejected accusations of genocide and has said its military operations are directed at Hamas, not Gaza’s civilian population.
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