Israel has admitted that its troops fired on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza in January 2024. The Israeli military also said its troops fired on an ambulance sent to rescue her.
The army has now ordered a criminal probe into the case. The move marks a major change from its earlier claim that its forces were not near the scene.
Hind was trapped in a Kia Picanto with members of her family as they tried to leave Gaza City. The car came under heavy fire. Six family members were killed. Hind was left alive inside the car.
She then made a long call to the Palestine Red Crescent. She asked for help and said she was scared. The call lasted about three hours. Rescue workers stayed in contact with her as they tried to reach the car.
The Red Crescent sent two medics in an ambulance. The ambulance also came under fire. The two medics were killed.
Hind, her family and the two medics were found dead days later, after Israeli forces left the area. The case caused wide anger around the world.
Israel had earlier said its troops were not in the area at the time. But later reviews and outside investigations found signs of Israeli military activity close to the car. The new military review now says Israeli troops did fire on the vehicle.
The Israeli military said the criminal probe will also look at the attack on the Red Crescent ambulance. It said there may have been failures in the planning and control of the ambulance movement.
The decision came as part of a wider review of several Gaza cases. The army said it reviewed more than 150 cases linked to the conduct of its troops. Two cases have now been sent for criminal investigation.
One is the Hind Rajab case. The other concerns the deaths of 15 Palestinian rescue workers in Rafah in March 2025.
The army said those rescue workers were killed after troops opened fire on a group of emergency vehicles. The vehicles had gone to help people after an Israeli attack.
The army also reviewed the deaths of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in April 2024. It said it would not open a criminal case in that incident.
The aid workers were killed when Israeli strikes hit their cars in Gaza. The group said its vehicles were clearly marked and that their movements had been shared with the Israeli military.
World Central Kitchen rejected the Israeli account. It said the military knew the team was unarmed and knew where the vehicles were. The group said the decision not to open a criminal case was deeply wrong.
One of the dead aid workers was Australian Zomi Frankcom. Her death led to strong calls from Australia for accountability.
The Israeli military also chose not to bring a criminal case over the deaths of four Doctors Without Borders workers in two separate incidents.
Rights groups say Israeli military probes into deaths of Palestinians and aid workers rarely lead to charges or convictions. They have called for stronger and independent investigations.
Israel says it does not deliberately target civilians. Its military says it fights Hamas and accuses the group of operating among civilians.
The Hind Rajab case has remained one of the best-known cases from the Gaza war. Her final phone call drew global attention to the dangers faced by children and other civilians during the fighting.
The case also became the focus of a film about Hind’s final hours. Her story has continued to draw calls for justice and accountability.
The Israeli military says its new criminal probe will examine what happened and whether soldiers broke military or criminal rules. The findings could determine whether any soldiers face charges.
For Hind’s family and supporters, the investigation comes more than two years after her death. It also follows years of questions over the military’s earlier denial that its troops were in the area.
The probe is now expected to face close attention as Israel faces wider demands for accountability over civilian deaths in Gaza.
