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The confirmation marks the first time the Israel Defense Forces have acknowledged involvement in the high-profile case that drew international condemnation following the broadcast of Rajab’s desperate phone calls for assistance. According to the IDF statement, troops fired on the vehicle because it was moving contrary to an advance notice that had been published. The military decided to refer the matter to the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division due to alleged failures in coordinating the movement of an ambulance that was subsequently shelled.
Rajab initially survived the shooting and spoke with Palestine Red Crescent Society dispatchers for several hours while trapped in the car with her dead relatives, the BBC reported. Two paramedics dispatched to the scene were killed when their vehicle came under fire despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities, according to the PRCS. Her body and those of her family were recovered from the Tel al-Hawa area of Gaza City several days after the Jan. 29, 2024, incident.
Independent analyses have challenged the military’s initial claims that no forces were present in the neighborhood. Forensic Architecture’s June 2024 investigation found a tank had operated 13 to 23 meters from the car and fired 335 rounds at the vehicle while its operators had a clear view of the children inside. Sky News reported in 2024 that several IDF tanks were operating in the area at the time of the shooting.
The Hind Rajab Foundation stated it has no confidence that the military’s self-investigation will deliver justice, calling such processes flawed. United Nations independent experts warned in July 2024 that the killing of Rajab, her family and the two paramedics may constitute a war crime and criticized the lack of proper investigation as potentially violating the right to life. A later UN commission report referenced the case in its assessment of events in Gaza, according to summaries of the document.
Rights organizations have noted that Israeli military investigations into alleged misconduct during the Gaza conflict seldom lead to convictions, a pattern highlighted in Reuters coverage of the announcement. The IDF said it examines all such incidents in line with international law. This probe represents one of the first criminal investigations into troop conduct in the ongoing war, the Associated Press reported.
The same announcement detailed a criminal investigation into the March 2025 killing of 15 Palestinians, among them medics and a UN worker, in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan area after a convoy came under attack. The military has meanwhile closed inquiries without criminal proceedings into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers and four from Medecins Sans Frontieres, The Times of Israel reported. Families of the victims and international observers continue to seek full accountability for the fatalities.
