Israel to probe killing of Hind Rajab, 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza. Details inside
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Israel to probe killing of Hind Rajab, 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza. Details inside")
Protesters display a banner depicting five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024. Photograph: (AFP)
Israel’s military announced criminal probes into high-profile Gaza war incidents, including the killings of five-year-old Hind Rajab, her family, and 15 Palestinian medics following ambulance coordination failures.
Israel’s military on Wednesday (Aug 19) said it would launch criminal investigations into two high-profile incidents involving the deaths of Palestinians during the war in Gaza, including the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family and the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics. The military said it would not open criminal investigations into three other incidents involving aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
In a statement, the military said it had completed reviews of 150 incidents involving the conduct of its troops in Gaza and had reached decisions on five cases. The investigation into the killing of Hind Rajab and eight others stems from an incident in Gaza City on January 29, 2024. The military said its forces fired on a car approaching them that was carrying Rajab and her relatives.
Five passengers were killed, while Rajab and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamada, initially survived. Hamada contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent, saying a tank was approaching and that her family members had been killed. Gunshots were heard during the call, according to a recording released by the Red Crescent, after which Hamada went silent.
Rajab remained on the phone with Red Crescent rescuers for hours, trapped inside the car, as they sought permission from the Israeli military to reach her. Contact was later lost. An ambulance sent to the scene was also allegedly hit by a shell as it arrived.
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Twelve days later, the bodies of Rajab and seven of her relatives were recovered from the site, along with two paramedics. The incident sparked international outrage. “Following 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,” the Israeli military said in its report.
The military’s decision marks a move towards a criminal probe into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, although the statement did not indicate who would be investigated or when the probe would be completed.
