Conflict & Security
Hind Rajab family rejects Israeli army probe
The family of Hind Rajab has no faith in an Israeli military criminal investigation into the five-year-old's killing in Gaza, her grandmother told AFP, calling the probe an attempt to justify her death.
Rajab's body was recovered from a bullet-riddled car in Gaza City days after she was last heard during an hours-long emergency call to the Palestinian Red Crescent on January 29, 2024. She had called after her family's car came under fire as they tried to flee Gaza City during an Israeli advance.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that its troops fired at the car carrying Rajab and her family, after previously denying that soldiers were present in the area. It said it had ordered a criminal investigation by military police after a review found alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
Rajab's grandmother, also named Hind Rajab, said the statement was the first time the military had “admitted its mistake”. But she said the family did not see it as an admission and accused the army of trying to present the killing as a mistake.
“We do not trust Israel's justice system,” she told AFP.
Rajab's body was eventually recovered with the bodies of six relatives and two Red Crescent rescuers sent to find her. Her death sparked international outrage and calls for an independent investigation.
Israel's foreign ministry said the opening of the criminal investigation showed that Israel was a “law-abiding democracy”. Rajab's grandmother disputed that and demanded justice not only for her granddaughter but for children in Gaza.
The Israeli military also published reviews of four other high-profile incidents in Gaza. It said it was launching a criminal probe into the 2025 killing of 15 Palestinian medics and humanitarian personnel. It said criminal investigations would not be opened in three other cases, including the killings of seven World Central Kitchen employees and four Doctors Without Borders employees.
Update
Hind Rajab's grandmother said the family had no faith in the Israeli military's criminal investigation.
The grandmother said the military's statement was the first time it had “admitted its mistake” but called it an attempt to justify the killing.
The grandmother demanded justice for Hind Rajab and for children in Gaza.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 17:00:32 UTC.
Update
World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres said the decision not to open a criminal investigation into the killing of WCK staff was wrong and painful.
World Central Kitchen called the decision inconsistent with the full truth and demanded an independent commission.
The Israeli military had previously denied its troops were present near the Hind Rajab incident.
Original audio from Hind Rajab's emergency call was incorporated into the Oscar-nominated film "The Voice of Hind Rajab".
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 17:58:14 UTC.
Update
The Hind Rajab Foundation said it had no confidence in the Israeli military's move and said Israel's internal investigations could not be regarded as credible accountability mechanisms.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 15:29:33 UTC.
Update
The Israeli military said it was also opening a criminal probe into the March 2025 killings of 15 Palestinians, including medics and humanitarian personnel, in southern Gaza.
The military published reviews into four other high-profile Gaza incidents.
The military said it would not open criminal investigations into three other reviewed incidents, including killings of World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders employees.
The military gave its account of the firing at Hind Rajab's family vehicle and the allegations involving the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 13:05:47 UTC.
Update
The Israeli military said the criminal investigation followed a review and alleged failures in coordinating the movement of a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance.
Hind Rajab's body was recovered from a bullet-riddled car in Gaza City days after she was last heard from during a phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent on January 29, 2024.
The case drew international outrage after a recording of her last words.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 11:41:37 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The outcome and scope of the Israeli military police criminal investigation are unresolved.
The family disputes the credibility of Israel's justice system and does not accept the military's framing of the case.
Source
AFP news report published on .