"All My Family Is Dead": 5-Year-Old Girl’s Final Call Spurs Israeli Military Investigation Into Gaza Civilian Tragedy

Israeli Military Admits, for the First Time, to Firing on Ambulance
Launches Criminal Investigation into Incidents that Sparked Global Outrage

The Israeli military has launched a criminal investigation into two incidents that sparked widespread international outrage: the death of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, and the deaths of 15 paramedics and rescue workers.

According to Yonhap News on August 20, citing AP and other sources, the Israeli military for the first time acknowledged that its own forces fired on the vehicle carrying Hind Rajab and on the ambulance dispatched to rescue her—an incident it had previously denied. Based on the findings of its internal factual inquiry, the Israeli military has decided to refer both cases for criminal investigation by the Military Police.

Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl who was found dead 12 days after losing contact following a call for rescue. Photo by AP/Yonhap News

The first incident involved the deaths of Hind Rajab and her family on January 29, 2024, in Gaza City. At the time, 5-year-old Hind was fleeing Israeli attacks with relatives in a car when they came under gunfire. Her 15-year-old cousin, Ryan Hamada, called the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to request rescue.

Gunshots could be heard during the call, followed by Ryan’s screams. Hind, the sole survivor, remained in contact with the PRCS by phone as she waited to be rescued. After coordinating with the Israeli military, the PRCS dispatched an ambulance to the scene. However, soon after, all contact was lost with both Hind and the rescue team. It was not until 12 days later, after Israeli forces had withdrawn from the area, that the bodies of Hind, her family, and two paramedics were found.

The Israeli military had previously maintained there were no Israeli forces in the area at the time. However, an internal investigation has since determined that Israeli troops did fire as the vehicle approached, and later, artillery was fired at the PRCS ambulance attempting to reach Hind. The military stated, "It is suspected that there was an issue in the process of coordinating the PRCS ambulance’s movement," and has tasked the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division with probing the case.

Israeli Military Admits Firing on Both Hind’s Vehicle and Rescue Ambulance, Reversing Earlier Denials

The second criminal investigation concerns the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in Rafah, southern Gaza, in March 2025.

At that time, Israeli forces fired at an ambulance on its way to rescue the injured. When contact was lost with the first ambulance, other ambulances and rescue vehicles heading to the scene to find their colleagues also came under fire. A total of 15 rescue workers from the PRCS and Gaza Civil Defense Force were killed. Afterwards, Israeli troops used bulldozers to bury the bodies and the damaged rescue vehicles under earth. The United Nations and relief teams were only able to access the site about a week after the incident.

Immediately following the incident, the Israeli military claimed that the rescue vehicles "approached suspiciously" without headlights or emergency flashers turned on.

According to Gaza health authorities, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the war in October 2023 has surpassed 73,000. Israel denies allegations of genocide and war crimes, claiming that its military targets are armed groups such as Hamas, not civilians. AP Yonhap News

However, that explanation was later overturned when video footage taken from a deceased paramedic’s phone was made public. The video showed rescue vehicles marked with PRCS and Civil Defense signs moving slowly with emergency flashing lights on. The Israeli military subsequently admitted its earlier account was wrong, and one of the responsible commanding officers was ordered to resign.

No Criminal Investigation for WCK and MSF Aid Worker Deaths

However, the Israeli military has decided not to open criminal investigations into other high-profile aid worker deaths that sparked international controversy. Included in this decision are the April 2024 incident where seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed in an airstrike on their convoy, as well as two incidents in November 2023 and February 2024 in which a total of four employees of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) died.

Reuters Yonhap News

Regarding the WCK incident, the Israeli military argued that some individuals in the convoy were mistakenly identified as armed Hamas operatives, but claimed that "no reasonable suspicion of criminal acts" was found in the command decisions. Immediately after the incident, two officers were dismissed from their posts and three others were disciplined.

WCK responded immediately, stating, "At the time, the Israeli military knew our team was unarmed and posed no threat." WCK further argued that the Israeli military cannot credibly investigate its own actions, calling for the formation of an independent investigative committee. The Australian government, which lost a citizen, Zomi Frankcom, in the WCK incident, also strongly protested. Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, summoned the Israeli ambassador on August 20 and declared, "This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect," adding, "Australia is outraged." According to AP, the Israeli military has completed internal fact-finding on approximately 150 incidents related to military actions in Gaza and has determined the course of action for these five recent cases.

Meanwhile, according to Gaza health authorities, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the war in October 2023 has exceeded 73,000. Israel denies allegations of genocide and war crimes, maintaining that the targets of its military operations are not civilians but armed groups such as Hamas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.