Experts Warn Israeli Killing of Paramedics in Gaza May Constitute War Crimes

Two paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society were also killed when their ambulance came under Israeli fire while attempting to save Hind’s family.

Independent experts have condemned the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab, her family, and two paramedics in Gaza, suggesting the incident could amount to a war crime. They criticized Israeli claims that its troops were not in the area at the time as "unacceptable" and called for an immediate cessation of attacks on Gaza's civilian population.

“The absence of proper investigation and accountability, more than five months after the tragic killing of Hind and six other members of her family trapped in a car which came under Israeli fire in Gaza, is deeply troubling and may in itself amount to a violation of the right to life,” the experts said.

Two paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society were also killed when their ambulance came under Israeli fire while attempting to save Hind’s family. Audio recordings of calls between Hind and emergency services suggest that she was the only survivor in the car before she was also killed.

Compelling Forensic Evidence

Recent forensic analysis of the crime scene provides compelling evidence about the location of the family’s car, stranded in the line of sight of an Israeli tank. The analysis shows the car was shot at from very close range using a type of weapon that can only be attributed to the Israeli forces.

“The brutality of these killings seem to illustrate how reckless the army has been in its Gaza campaign: all instances of extrajudicial killing must be duly investigated and accounted for,” the experts said.

Systemic Pattern of Attacks

The experts pointed out that Hind’s family, like many others in Gaza, had been forcibly displaced multiple times due to Israeli military operations in the strip. They were shot dead while fleeing the neighborhood of Tal Al-Hawa, seeking safety, in what seems to be part of a broader pattern of indiscriminate killings of civilians attempting to find shelter and escape the fighting in Gaza upon so-called ‘evacuation’ orders by the Israeli military.

“These killings are not isolated cases,” the experts said. “We are extremely troubled by the pattern of apparent indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians in Gaza, including on locations used for humanitarian assistance or to shelter IDPs.”

Attacks on Humanitarian Zones

The experts highlighted several incidents, including the firing of heavy-caliber projectiles at a humanitarian zone near an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, which killed 22 displaced civilians. They also noted recent attacks on IDP tents in Al Mawasi area, Ash Shati' Refugee Camp, and the UNRWA Abu Oreiban school sheltering IDPs, which resulted in nearly 320 Palestinian deaths, half of them women and children.

“Such attacks amount to grave violations of international humanitarian law, must be promptly and reliably investigated, and should be severely punished,” the experts stressed.

Urgent Call for Action

“The wilful or indiscriminate killing of protected persons, including civilians, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers, amounts to war crimes, and if systematic, crimes against humanity, and should be prevented at all costs,” the experts warned. They expressed deep concern over the total impunity and apparent lack of investigations into these crimes.

The experts called on the Israeli Government to take immediate measures to protect the right to life of all protected persons in Gaza, including women and children. They also urged the Israeli Government to allow access for independent experts, including international human rights monitoring bodies, into Gaza to ensure credible investigations of all violations of international law committed since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in Gaza.

Renewing their calls for an immediate end to the bloodshed and grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the unconditional release of all hostages, the experts urged the international community to ensure accountability for those responsible and provide protection and urgent assistance for the population in Gaza.