The Israeli military acknowledged that its troops fired at a vehicle carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside six members of her family in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division will launch a formal inquiry into the deaths of Hind, her relatives, and two Palestinian Red Crescent rescuers killed while trying to reach her.
The investigation will also examine a separate March 23, 2025 incident in which 15 Palestinians, including medical personnel, paramedics, and a UN staff member, were killed in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood.
In that case, an Israeli unit opened fire on an emergency and aid convoy that included a fire truck, ambulances, and a UN vehicle during an early-morning ambush.
Israeli officials attributed the shooting of the family car in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood to its movement in violation of military notices published by the IDF Spokesperson.
They cited communication failures and alleged coordination issues for the subsequent attack on the dispatched ambulance.
Hind was trapped inside the car as the sole survivor after initial gunfire killed her aunt, uncle, and four cousins.
Her cousin Layan Hamada initially survived the opening shots and called emergency services, but was killed while on the phone with dispatchers, leaving Hind alone to spend hours trapped in the vehicle awaiting rescue.
Her story inspired the Oscar-nominated docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. The film uses actual audio recordings from the three-hour phone call between Hind and Red Crescent volunteers. In one recording, she says: “Please come get me. I’m scared.”
At Qatar’s inaugural Doha Film Festival in December 2025, Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, introduced the film.
“My message is more than just words. It is the pain of a mother who lost her daughter, then found in the outpouring of love for her a message from God,” she said.
“I understood that my mission is to carry the voice of Gaza’s children to the world, children who live at the heart of war, in darkness, deprived of their most basic rights and whose dreams are torn apart before they bloom.”
The docudrama received a 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere during the 2025 Venice Film Festival.