- Published
The Israeli military has confirmed for the first time that it opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed along with six relatives in Gaza in 2024.
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who → publish → 2024
Rajab initially survived the attack and answered a telephone call during which she pleaded for help.
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she → survive → help
The call lasted hours.
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call → last → ?
An ambulance sent to reach her – in a move co-ordinated with the Israeli army - was then shelled, killing two paramedics.
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ambulance → send → paramedics
Hind's body was recovered days later, along with the others killed.
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body → recover → others
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it would open a criminal investigation into Hind, her family and the paramedics' killings, as well as the killing of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker, in March 2025.
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it → say → March
Both incidents drew international condemnation.
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incidents → draw → condemnation
The IDF said of the killing of Hind: "Due to alleged failures in the co-ordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by Military Police Criminal Investigation Division."
It added that the findings of its examination "indicate that IDF troops fired at a vehicle" that was "travelling contrary to the advanced notice that had been published in an announcement by the IDF Spokesperson to residents of the area".
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that → say → area
The IDF initially stated that none of its troops were in the area at the time of Hind's killing.
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none → state → killing
However, that suggestion was soon questioned.
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suggestion → question → ?
The IDF later said it had "conducted raids on terror targets" with forces operating in neighbourhoods in Gaza City, including Tel al-Hawa, where Hind was located.
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Hind → say → Hawa
Hind's killing was internationally condemned after a desperate recording of her speaking to paramedics of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was broadcast around the world.
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her → condemn → world
The sound of Hind's fragile voice on the other of the line that day haunted the Red Crescent operators long after her death, as she described seeing tanks directly in front of the car, moving towards her.
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she → haunt → her
"Hide under the seats," the operators told her.
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operators → hide → her
"Don't let anyone see you."
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anyone → let → you
Operator Rana Faqih stayed on the line with Hind for hours, as the Red Crescent team appealed to the Israeli army to allow their ambulance to access the location.
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ambulance → stay → location
Faqih said the child appealed to her over and over again for someone to come and rescue her.
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someone → say → her
"At one point, she told me it was getting dark," Rana told the BBC in February 2024.
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Rana → tell → February
She asked me how far away my house was.
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house → ask → me
I felt paralysed and helpless."
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I → feel → ?
Three hours after the call began, an ambulance was finally cleared to approach the area, and was despatched to rescue Hind.
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ambulance → begin → Hind
It was after dark when the crew - Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun - notified operators that they were nearing the location, and were about to be checked for entry by Israeli forces.
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they → notify → forces
It was the last operators heard from them – or from Hind.
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It → hear → Hind
After that, the line to both paramedics, and to the girl they came to rescue, disconnected for good.
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they → come → girl
The PRCS later confirmed that both Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun were killed when the ambulance was bombed by Israeli forces.
"The [Israeli] occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite obtaining prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the scene to rescue the child Hind," the organisation said in a statement.
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organisation → confirm → statement
The story was made into an Oscar-nominated film called The Voice of Hind Rajab.
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story → make → Rajab
The UN cited her case in a commission of inquiry, accusing Israel of war crimes, which it denies.
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it → cite → which
Following the Israeli army's announcement, the Hind Rajab Foundation, which is based in Brussels and seeks to address alleged Israeli violations in Gaza, said it had "no confidence" in the investigation.
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it → follow → investigation
"These reported investigations, even if they do occur, should not be mistaken for a genuine step toward justice," it said in a statement.
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it → report → statement
It added that Israel's internal investigations were "fundamentally flawed and cannot be regarded as credible mechanisms of accountability".
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investigations → add → accountability
The IDF's statement on Wednesday said: "For more than a thousand days, the IDF has been conducting intensive combat across numerous fronts, carrying out a wide range of military missions in an exceptionally complex operational reality.
"
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IDF → say → reality
As part of the IDF's obligations under international law and Israeli domestic law, the IDF examines exceptional incidents that occurred during combat."
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that → examine → combat
Aside from the criminal investigation into Hind, her family and the paramedics, the IDF also said it would investigate the killing of 15 Palestinians, after an IDF unit fired on ambulances, a fire engine and a marked UN vehicle, in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah in southern Gaza during an emergency call-out early on 23 March 2025.
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unit → say → March
Their bodies were found buried in shallow graves a week later next to the crushed vehicles.
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bodies → find → vehicles
The Israeli military initially said its troops fired on "suspicious vehicles" driving in darkness with their headlights and emergency lights off.
But it later said that account was "mistaken" after a video found on the mobile phone of one of the dead paramedics, Rifaat Radwan, showed the convoy was using its emergency lights.
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convoy → say → lights
In Wednesday's statement, the IDF said: "Following review of the findings, having found that the firing conducted during the incident raises a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident."
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it → say → incident
In three other cases, including the killing of seven World Central Kitchen employees in Deir al-Balah two years ago, and four employees of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who were killed in two incidents, the IDF said it had not found grounds for criminal investigations.
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it → include → investigations
Australia's foreign minister said she was "outraged" over the Israeli government decision not to prosecute those responsible for the death of World Central Kitchen aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who was killed in an IDF strike.
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who → say → strike
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and called in the Israeli ambassador.
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we → say → ambassador
Australia would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues", Wong said in a statement on Thursday.
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Wong → continue → Thursday
…and 12 more, not listed.
