The IDF has opened a criminal investigation into the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) command has ordered the opening of a criminal investigation into the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in Gaza. Her death drew international condemnation after a recording of the girl's conversation with emergency personnel was circulated around the world.

The car carrying a family of seven, including Hind Rajab, came under Israeli fire in January 2024 as it tried to leave an active bombing zone at the height of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Several of the girl's relatives died on the spot, but Hind herself initially survived and was able to answer a repeated call from the Palestine Red Crescent Society staff. The conversation continued for several hours.

However, an ambulance trying to reach the girl also came under fire.

Days later, the bodies of Hind, her family members and two emergency personnel were discovered.

In a statement, the IDF said that "following a review of the information received" and "due to alleged irregularities in the coordination of the movement of the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance," the decision was made to open a criminal investigation into the incident by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.

This is the first open admission by the IDF that troops opened fire on the vehicle carrying Hind and her family.

Previously, the Israeli command stated that, according to a preliminary investigation, there were no Israeli troops in the area at the time of the incident.

In addition to the Hind Rajab case, Israel's chief military prosecutor also ordered a criminal investigation into the deaths of 15 medics and rescue workers in a convoy that came under fire near Rafah in March 2015.

At the same time, the prosecutor's office closed the cases of the deaths of four employees of the organization Doctors Without Borders, two of whom died in November 2023 and two in February 2024. The cases were closed due to insufficient evidence of the involvement of the Israeli military in these incidents.

Before cases are referred to the military prosecutor's office, an initial review of situations is carried out by the high-ranking Fact Finding and Assessment Commission (FFAM) at the General Staff.

It is an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents during war. To date, the commission has completed about 150 reviews and submitted the materials to the military prosecutor's office, the IDF's main legal authority, which then decides whether to open a criminal investigation into a particular case.

“Legal decisions have recently been made on five incidents that have attracted public attention,” the Israeli military said in a statement.