The grandmother of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab has rejected an Israeli military investigation into her killing, saying the family does not trust the Israeli judiciary and calling instead for an independent international probe.
Her comments came after the Israeli military acknowledged on Wednesday that its forces fired on the car carrying Hind and her relatives in Gaza City in January 2024 and announced a criminal investigation into her death.
“We are not demanding justice only in Hind’s name as a child from Gaza, but in the name of all our child martyrs in Gaza,” Hind’s grandmother told Anadolu.
She called for accountability over the deaths of Hind, six of her relatives and two Palestine Red Crescent medics who were dispatched to rescue her.
The Hind Rajab Foundation also questioned the credibility of the Israeli investigation, saying an internal probe should not be regarded as a genuine step towards justice.
Hind was travelling with relatives as they attempted to flee fighting in Gaza City on 29 January 2024 when their vehicle came under fire.
Her 15-year-old cousin Layan called the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help from inside the car. Contact with Layan was later lost, but emergency workers managed to reach Hind, who remained trapped in the vehicle surrounded by the bodies of her relatives.
Hind stayed on the phone with emergency workers for hours while an ambulance was dispatched to rescue her. Contact with both the girl and the medics was eventually lost.
12 days later, Hind was found dead inside the bullet-riddled vehicle alongside six relatives. The bodies of the two paramedics sent to rescue her were also discovered nearby.
Audio recordings of Hind pleading for help sparked international outrage and turned her case into one of the most widely recognised stories of Palestinian children killed during the Gaza war.
The Israeli military initially said its forces were not present near the vehicle at the time. Subsequent independent investigations using satellite imagery, audio and visual evidence challenged that account and indicated Israeli military vehicles were operating in the area.
Wednesday’s announcement marks the first time the Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces fired on the vehicle. It has not yet determined whether criminal responsibility lies with individual soldiers or commanders.
Afghanistan says its forces have killed 41 fighters and captured 62 others after several days of fighting in eastern Nuristan, accusing Pakistan&rs...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the cou...
The U.S. Senate has blocked a resolution that would have required President Donald Trump’s administration to report to Congress on alleged hu...
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that more than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia, with preparations under way to send another 10,000.
Russian strikes hit Kyiv and Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa overnight into Tuesday, damaging infrastructure and civilian sites, while Moscow said it had also targeted vessels carrying military cargo.
Israel believes an incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv may have been an attempted “terror attack” by one of the pilots, after the plane rapidly descended and was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The war between Iran and the U.S. is creating a widening security challenge for Saudi Arabia, stretching from Yemen’s Red Sea coast to Iraq as the Houthis emerge as a growing source of pressure on the kingdom.
North Korea has dismissed as a “farce” Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang was responsible for a landmine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line that injured three South Korean soldiers.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have renewed high-level contact as a Houthi offensive in Yemen increases pressure on Riyadh and raises concerns over security around a crucial Red Sea shipping route.
The Spanish government has unveiled plans to extend protections against evictions until the end of 2030 as it seeks to address growing concerns over housing affordability and tenant security.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment