Mother of Hind Rajab Demands Independent Inquiry Into Daughter’s Killing

Wesam Hamada wants an independent inquiry into the killing of her five-year-old daughter, Hind Rajab, in Gaza City, dismissing a recent Israeli military criminal investigation as an insufficient attempt to distract international attention and improve the army’s public image, according to The Associated Press and NBC News.

The military announced Wednesday that it will launch a criminal investigation into the conduct of troops who fired on the family’s car and an ambulance dispatched to help them on Jan. 29, 2024, as reported by The New York Times and the BBC. Six family members in the vehicle, including Hind and her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamada, along with two paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, were killed during the incident, according to AP News and Time.

Hind’s final telephone calls to emergency dispatchers and her mother made her one of the most prominent casualties of the Israel-Hamas war, drawing international outcry and inspiring the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab, as noted by AP News.

Military Probe Follows Scrutiny and Independent Findings

Israel’s military stated Wednesday that it will review findings from roughly 150 incidents, passing criminal probes to military investigators who will present conclusions to military prosecutors, according to AP News. The military advocate general will then decide whether to indict soldiers or close the cases.

When the family’s car came under fire after evacuation orders prompted them to leave Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, the military initially stated that its troops were not in the area, according to Time and AP News. A subsequent United Nations commission of inquiry and an investigation by the research group Forensic Architecture later found evidence placing Israeli forces near the vehicle and attributed the attack to them, as reported by AP News.

According to reporting by AP News, the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation expressed skepticism regarding the military probe, while rights group Yesh Din noted that past investigations rarely result in indictments, with only 0.17% of incidents reviewed between 2014 and 2022 leading to prosecution.

Mother Demands Transparency and Genuine Accountability

In statements reported by AP News and Time, Wesam Hamada rejected the military inquiry as a closed process.

I do not want a closed military investigation. I want an independent, transparent investigation and genuine accountability for everyone responsible.

All I remember is her voice pleading, ‘Mama, I’m scared. Mama, I’m hungry. Mama, I’m hurt,’ she said in an interview with the outlet. Her voice keeps repeating in my ears. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society released audio recordings in February 2024 capturing Layan Hamada speaking to an emergency dispatcher before gunfire erupted and the connection ended, according to Time and AP News. Dispatchers subsequently called back, reaching Hind, who reported that her cousin was dead and that Israeli tanks were advancing, as detailed by AP News. Red Crescent medics dispatched an ambulance to the scene, but contact eventually dropped; the bodies of Hind, her relatives, and the two paramedics were recovered 12 days later, according to AP News and Time.