Israeli troops may've killed Gaza minor Hind Rajab, family, rescuers — WaPo

Israeli armoured vehicles were present in the area when a car carrying 6-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab and her family was targeted in Gaza City on January 29, an investigation by Washington Post has concluded, contradicting the claims by the Israeli military.

The harrowing probe details the final hours of the minor who begged to be rescued as Israeli tanks closed in on her. Based on an analysis of satellite imagery, recordings, photos and videos and interviews, The Post concluded that Israeli armoured vehicles were present in the area in the afternoon and that gunfire was audible as Hind and her cousin repeatedly called for help.

The damage caused to an ambulance carrying paramedics trying to save them was consistent with the use of a round fired by Israeli tanks, it reported, citing six munitions experts.

The Israeli army told The Washington Post that they were "not present near the vehicle or within the firing range" of the Rajab family’s car.

Asked about the report, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Israeli army told them that none of their units were in the area, contrary to the findings of The Washington Post investigation.

"We would still welcome a full investigation into this matter and how it occurred in the first place," Miller added.

Consistent with Israeli weapons

Rajab became trapped in her family car on January 29 after it came under Israeli army fire in Gaza City and was found dead after nearly two weeks of uncertainty.

The minor was traveling with her family, including her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamadeh, fleeing Israeli bombardment in northern Gaza when they came under Israeli fire, according to the Palestine Red Crescent.

Surrounded by the bodies of relatives, they called for help, and a Red Crescent ambulance was dispatched.

According to the humanitarian group, Layan was killed while speaking to the Red Crescent team by phone as gunfire could be heard in the background.

When the team called back, it was Hind who answered, possibly the only survivor in the car. Soon after, they lost all contact with her.

The audio clips released by the Red Crescent in February had recorded a call to dispatchers that was first made by Hind's teenage cousin Hamadeh, saying an Israeli tank was approaching before shots rang out and she screamed.

Believed to be the only survivor, Hind stayed on the line for three hours with dispatchers, who tried to soothe her as they prepared to send an ambulance.

"Come and get me," Hind was heard crying desperately in another audio recording. "I'm so scared, please come."

After deciding it was safe to approach the area, the dispatchers sent an ambulance with two crew, Youssef Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoon.

Contact was soon lost with both the ambulance team and Hind, leaving their families, colleagues and many around the world concerned about their fate.

Twelve days later, when a Palestinian civil defence crew finally reached the area, they found Hind's body in a car riddled with bullets, according to her uncle, Samir Hamada, who also arrived at the scene early that morning, according to the Post.

The ambulance lay charred roughly 50 metres away from the car, its destruction consistent with the use of a round fired by Israeli tanks, according to munitions experts.

Steven Beck, a seasoned acoustic analyst with over a decade of experience consulting for the FBI, analysed a recording for The Post. He determined that the gunfire's rate exceeded that of an automatic AK-patterned rifle, commonly used by Hamas resistance fighters.

According to Beck, the firing rate was more consistent with weapons typically issued to Israeli military. An independent verification by Earshot also concluded that the rate of fire surpassed that of an AK-patterned rifle.

When asked by Anadolu on February 12 about Rajab's killing, Miller said he was "devastated" over the "heartbreaking" killing of the child and had called for an urgent investigation into the incident.

The Geneva-based Euro-Med Monitor said shell fragments of an American-made M830A1 projectile were found at the site of the bombed Red Crescent ambulance that was looking for her family.

Asked about the reports of American-made weapons found at the scene, Miller said he was not able to verify them.

"Whether weapons are provided by the United States or that they have acquired through some other method or that they manufacture them themselves, it is our expectation that they use them in full compliance with the laws of war, and we engage with them on that matter," he said.

Miller said, rather than the United States conducting its own review, it had asked Israel what its own investigation had found.

"That's what we'll be going back to them to do with the new details that were raised by the Washington Post," Miller said.