An investigation shows how the IDF killed Hind Rajab

On January 29, 2024, Hind’s uncle Bashar Hamada attempted to flee Gaza City with his wife, four children, and Hind in a Kia Picanto, driving to an area deemed safe by the Israeli army. Shortly after their escape, five of the car’s occupants were killed by heavy gunfire. Only Hind and her fifteen-year-old cousin Layan Hamada survived. Layan called the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help and, in a panic, described a tank approaching. Rapid volleys, a shrill scream, and sudden silence were the last things PRCS personnel heard before Layan was killed.

Surrounded by the bodies of her murdered relatives, six-year-old Hind was left alone and injured in the car. She remained in contact with PRCS staff for more than three hours. In a recording of the conversation released by the PRCS, Hind can be heard pleading with a PRCS staff member: “Come and get me. I’m so scared, please come.”

A few hours later, the Israeli Civil Administration of the Occupied Territories (COGAT) authorized the PRCS to send an ambulance with two paramedics, Yusuf Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun. Shortly before their arrival in Hind, contact with them was lost. Given the immense risks involved, no more ambulances were sent.

Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, who had fled on foot with her older children, pleaded with the world to help rescue the six-year-old. Amid mounting international pressure, the United States urged Israel to investigate the incident internally. Twelve days passed, during which Hind’s family could do nothing but hope that the six-year-old might have been picked up by the Israeli army.

When Israeli tanks finally cleared the area, they found the bullet-riddled Kia and the remains of the ambulance just fifty meters from the car. All the occupants were dead.

Hind’s family and the international community continued to demand accountability. After an initial internal investigation, the Israeli army said that its troops were not near the Kia and that no permission was required to request an ambulance in the area.

The Washington Post was able to refute these claims in collaboration with open source intelligence (OSINT) experts. Satellite imagery clearly shows the presence of Israeli military vehicles near the Kia at the time of the attack, and investigations revealed that COGAT had given the PRCS permission to rescue with an ambulance. The destroyed vehicles were also on a route declared safe by Israel. The specific gunfire patterns heard during the distress calls point to Israeli weapons, as do the bullet holes on the PRCS ambulance, which, according to six ammunition experts, resembled those of ammunition typically used by Israeli tanks.

But the report’s publication had no consequences, and Israel’s allies have yet to draw any conclusions from it. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller repeatedly stated that the US remained interested in an internal Israeli investigation. As the news continued to circulate, the investigation into the circumstances of Hind’s death was in danger of being forgotten.

At this point, Forensic Architecture took over the case. They worked with two other research teams: one from Earshot, a non-profit organization that conducts acoustic research for human rights and environmental protection, and another from a Al-Jazeera Investigation Unit, Fault lineswhich had originally commissioned the investigation.

The research team expanded its investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of Hind, her relatives and the paramedics Zeino and al-Madhoun. Their main goal was to identify those responsible: Which Israeli military vehicles were nearby at the time of the attack? From which directions and from what distance did the fire come? What ammunition was used to kill Layan and shoot at the ambulance? Would the shooters have recognized the civilians in the Kia?

Satellite images allow geolocation of the Kia and the family’s escape route. A 3D video reconstruction created by the research team suggests that the car was run over and pushed aside by an armored Caterpillar bulldozer belonging to the Israeli Defense Forces.

Another 3D model, created from photos of the riddled car, allows conclusions to be drawn about the 335 bullet holes in the Kia. Neighbouring bullet holes indicate volleys, while the size and shape of the holes make it possible to distinguish between bullet holes and exit holes, thus determining the most likely direction of the shot.

Earshot’s analysis of Layan’s conversation with the PRCS shows that the speed of the shots heard exceeds the capacity of the AK-47 assault rifles used by Hamas. However, the speed is equivalent to three weapons used by the Israeli Defense Forces, including the M4 assault rifle. Further audio and video analysis by the research team suggests that the vehicle that opened fire was likely an Israeli Merkava tank, which was no more than 23 meters from Layan’s phone.

In their distress calls to the PRCS, both Layan and Hind described approaching tanks. The analysis by Forensic Architecture confirms these statements in its conclusion. Given the proximity, the tank gunner could have recognized the occupants of the vehicle as civilians and children. This makes the Israeli army the most likely party responsible for the killing of the seven family members.

Forensic Architecture’s investigation also reconstructs the position of the PRCS ambulance at the time it came under fire. The trajectory of the fatal projectile matches the position of nearby Israeli tanks based on satellite images from that day. The independent research collective therefore concludes that the ambulance was probably attacked by an Israeli tank. The IDF also bears responsibility for this, as the PRCS had coordinated its operation with COGAT.

Although the analysis leaves little doubt about Israel’s responsibility, it cannot replace official, supranationally legitimate and independent investigations. Although OSINT investigations are becoming increasingly relevant, caution is advised in view of the differences in quality; only recognized and careful research teams such as Forensic Architecture, Earshot or Bellingcat as well as the investigative teams of established media such as the Washington Post one should believe.

Forensic architecture is particularly relevant to groups whose concerns are ignored by state or supranational investigative authorities for political reasons. As the multidisciplinary research group disseminates the results of its investigations to a global audience, it increases the pressure for international legal investigations into (war) crimes and human rights violations. Forensic architecture thus offers insight into accountability – even for influential state (or state-supported) actors who disregard international law.

Massive international pressure must be brought to bear on Israel and Hamas to finally reach a long-term ceasefire and to prepare an international, independent commission of inquiry into the war crimes committed by both sides. Israel often dismisses criticism of its human rights record and its conduct of the war as unfair or motivated by anti-Semitism. In doing so, the Israeli government is calling into question the work of numerous credible international organizations and trying to prevent them from intervening or demanding accountability, as was recently the case with the Red Cross.

In addition, internal investigations are used as an argument against independent international investigations. However, Israel’s own investigations into war crimes and the killing of civilians have often failed to lead to accountability or justice, as Hinds and many other cases show.

“The killing of Hind Rajab” brings new urgency to the debate. Israel’s Western allies should use this as an opportunity to urgently call for an independent international investigation into all war crimes committed by both warring parties since October 7, 2023. Such support for the enforcement of international law is urgently needed, regardless of foreign policy alliances.

Forensic Architecture’s investigation into Hind’s death should serve as a model for major Western media outlets, which should finally recognize their responsibility to critically examine and monitor the public statements of both warring parties in the Gaza war. At the very least, they should stop ignoring the investigation, its findings and implications and start investigating them. After all, Hind Rajab’s death is not an isolated incident, but an example of the ongoing violence that thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to since October 7 until today.