Killing of Hind Rajab
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Hind graduating from senior kindergarten, was killed at the age of 5 by the Israeli military
Killing of Hind Rajab (Israel) The attack site
Location	Tel al-Hawa, Gaza Strip
Coordinates	31°30′32.76″N 34°26′12.84″E / 31.5091000°N 34.4369000°E / 31.5091000; 34.4369000
Date	29 January 2024 (2024-01-29)
Deaths	10
Perpetrators	Israel Defense Forces

Hind Rajab was a five-year-old ^[1] Palestinian girl from the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City who was killed by the Israeli military, after being the sole survivor of Israeli tank fire on the vehicle in which she had fled with six relatives. ^{[2] [3]}

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Israeli forces deliberately attacked the ambulance sent to rescue her, killing two PRCS members, Yusuf Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, despite the fact that Israel was notified of its dispatch. ^[4] Israel has said that its troops were not near the vehicle in which Hind was killed. ^[5] Al Jazeera disputed the finding, reporting that there had been three Israeli tanks in the area at the time; ^[6] a fact confirmed by later Washington Post investigation based on satellite imagery. ^[7]

Her story gained significant media coverage in February 2024, after her emergency 3-hour phone call with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society was released, in which she told the dispatcher, "I'm so scared, please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?" ^{[8] [3]}

Background

During the Israel–Hamas war and the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israel issued evacuation orders. South Africa brought Israel to the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023 for genocide, and on 26 January 2024, the Court issued an Order instructing Israel to take all measures to prevent any acts than can be considered genocidal. ^{[9] [10]}

Killing

On 29 January 2024, Rajab's family were fleeing the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood ^[3] of Gaza City when an Israeli army tank shot their vehicle, a black Kia, killing Rajab's aunt, uncle, and four cousins. ^[11] The only other survivor, Rajab's 15 year old cousin Layan Hamadeh, called the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for emergency aid. Hamadeh commented at one point that, "They are shooting at us. The tank is right next to me. We’re in the car, the tank is right next to us.” ^[12]

Hamadeh was heard screaming as she was killed under the sound of machine gun fire raking the car while still on the line with responders. ^{[13] [14]} When the dispatchers called back, Rajab answered the call, stating everyone else in the car was dead ^[3] and that the tank continued to approach the car. ^[15] Rajab stayed on the line with the PRCS for three hours, telling the dispatcher, "I'm so scared, please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?" ^{[8] [3]} Her grandfather later told reporters that Rajab was injured in the back, hand and foot. ^[16] Rajab, who was instructed to continue hiding in the vehicle, was set to be rescued by a PRCS ambulance. ^[17] The audio of the phone call between the PRCS, Hamadeh and Rajab was published by the Red Crescent on 3 February. ^[16]

As the area was besieged, the PRCS worked with the Gaza Health Ministry and the Israeli military to guarantee safe passage for their ambulance crew to rescue Rajab. The ambulance reported that they were being targeted by the Israeli military with laser lights. After sounds of gunfire or an explosion, the connection was lost. ^[8] The fate of Rajab and the paramedics was unknown ^[18] until 12 days later on 10 February 2024, when the family returned after the withdrawal of the Israeli military, discovering the car with Rajab, Hamadeh, and the rest of her uncle's entire family deceased. ^[19] The windows were blown out, and the doors were covered with bullet holes. ^[20] The Red Crescent ambulance was found a few feet away, completely destroyed by an Israeli missile, ^[21] with two ambulance workers, ^[22] Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, also killed. ^[23]

Investigation

According to an initial investigation from the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Rajab and her relatives were killed in a "planned execution" by the Israeli army, who with a US-made missile also killed the Red Crescent paramedics sent to rescue the young girl. ^[24] Shell fragments of an American-made M830A1 projectile were found at the site of the bombed Red Crescent ambulance that was looking for Hind and her family; when asked about American munitions being used to target Palestinian civilians, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that he is "not able to verify the reports", and that "our expectation is that they use them in full compliance with the laws of war". ^[25]

An IDF spokesperson claimed, after a preliminary investigation, that there were no IDF troops near the vehicle or within firing range and that, due to the lack of troops, ambulance coordination was unnecessary to rescue Rajab. ^[5] In response to the IDF statements, Al Jazeera stated, "Israel has a history of swiftly clearing its troops of any wrongdoing in cases of abuse against Palestinians." ^[26] An Al Jazeera investigation further found that three Israeli tanks were in the vicinity of Rajab's family vehicle at the time of the attack. ^[27]

The investigation was reportedly handed over to the General Staff Fact Finding Assessment Mechanism, described as an independent military body that investigates unusual incidents. The United States has also raised calls for Rajab's death to be investigated in a timely manner, stating they were "devastated" about Rajab's death. ^[28]

An April 2024 Washington Post investigation countered statements from the Israeli military, concluding that Israeli armored vehicles were indeed in the vicinity of car where Rajab's body was found and the 300mm hole on the Red Crescent ambulance is consistent with that an Israeli tank round. ^[7] The Post also confirmed that the wreckage of the ambulance was found on a route provided by COGAT, an arm of Israeli Defense Ministry that coordinates safe passages for medical vehicles with the IDF. ^[7]

Impact

Rajab's case garnered international attention with calls by activists and humanitarian organizations to help find her and bring her to safety when she was missing for the 12 days. Her mother begged for the international community not to forget her daughter and to bring her home. ^[29] The Palestinian Red Cross utilized their social media accounts, to post photos of both paramedics and Rajab for multiple days, while appealing for information about their locations. ^[8] Multiple news agencies reached out to the Israeli military for comment about the incident. On 2 February, the Israeli military told CNN reporters it was "unfamiliar with the incident". When they were contacted again three days later, they reported they "were still looking into it". ^[12]

After the discovery of her body, many pro-Palestinian figures criticised Western media outlets for stating that Rajab had been "found dead" without attributing her death to Israel, contrasting it with the sympathetic coverage of the deaths of children in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^[30] Rajab's mother was critical of the Israeli army after the confirmed death of her daughter, stating, "How many more mothers are you waiting to feel this pain? How many more children do you want to get killed?". ^[23] The Red Crescent laid the blame of the incident at Israel, accusing it of deliberately targeting the ambulance crew. ^[31] The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the International Criminal Court to hold those responsible for Hind's death accountable. ^[32] On February 13, the human rights group Justice For All submitted a case to the ICC charging the IDF with multiple war crimes for the killing of Hind Rajab. ^[33]

See also

• Effect of the Israel–Hamas war on children in the Gaza Strip
• Killing of health workers in the Israel–Hamas war

References