Hind Rajab’s Family Rejects Israeli Probe, Demands International Justice

The family of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab has rejected an Israeli military investigation into her killing and demanded an independent international inquiry.

The Israeli army acknowledged Wednesday that its forces opened fire on the civilian vehicle carrying Hind and her relatives in Gaza City in January 2024.

The admission came after the military had denied that Israeli forces were present near the scene, a claim later contradicted by independent investigations using visual and audio evidence.

Israel announced a criminal investigation into Hind’s killing and a separate military probe into the killing of 15 emergency and humanitarian workers in Rafah in March 2025.

Admission After Years of Denial

Hind’s grandmother said the family has no confidence in an investigation conducted by the same military whose forces opened fire on the vehicle.

The family believes Israeli troops deliberately targeted the car carrying Hind, her uncle, his wife and their children as they attempted to escape Israeli bombardment.

Hind, six members of her family and two Palestine Red Crescent medics sent to rescue her were killed.

Her grandmother demanded an independent international investigation capable of establishing responsibility for the attack and holding those involved accountable.

The Hind Rajab Foundation also dismissed the Israeli inquiry, warning that an internal military process should not be presented as a credible step toward justice.

Trapped Under Israeli Fire

Hind and her relatives were traveling near the Fares gas station in Gaza City when Israeli forces opened fire on their vehicle, according to her grandmother.

Hind’s cousin Layan remained on the phone with relatives for hours, pleading for help before the line went silent.

The family later reached Hind, who told them she was still alive and trapped inside the car. They remained in contact with her while the Palestine Red Crescent Society coordinated an ambulance mission.

Communication stopped as the two medics approached the area.

Following the Israeli military’s withdrawal, the family found the vehicle riddled with bullets. Hind and six of her relatives were inside, while the two medics sent to rescue her had also been killed.

Hind was found several days after her January 29 call to the Palestine Red Crescent. The recording of the five-year-old pleading for help triggered international outrage when it became public.

Justice for Every Child Killed in Gaza

Hind’s grandmother said the family’s demand extends beyond her granddaughter and includes every Palestinian child killed during Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.

“We are not demanding justice only in Hind’s name as a child from Gaza, but in the name of all our child martyrs in Gaza,” she said.

More than 73,000 Palestinians, many of them children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its assault in October 2023.