Israel Admits Soldiers Shot at Car Carrying Hind Rajab, Opens Criminal Investigation

The Israeli military has officially confirmed that its soldiers fired at the car in which five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza, and has opened a criminal investigation into the incident, BBC journalists Yolande Knell and Lucy Williamson reported from Jerusalem.

Hind Rajab became a symbol of civilian suffering in Gaza after she survived an initial strike on her family's vehicle and called for help from inside the car, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives. Her desperate plea was recorded and drew international attention and outrage. Her body, along with those of six relatives, was later recovered from the vehicle.

Two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics dispatched to rescue her were also killed while attempting to reach her location. Their deaths deepened the international condemnation of the incident by human rights organisations worldwide.

Israel had previously denied direct responsibility for the child's death. The latest admission that soldiers fired at the vehicle marks a significant shift in the Israeli military's official stance on the case.

The criminal investigation will examine the circumstances under which soldiers decided to open fire on a vehicle carrying civilians, including a young child. Human rights groups have called for full transparency and accountability in the process.