Killing of Hind Rajab may be Israeli war crime: UN experts

The death of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl whose final appeals for help moved public opinion worldwide, may constitute a war crime, UN experts said on Friday.

Rajab was killed alongside five relatives after Israeli shelling targeted their car in the City's Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood.

Two paramedics with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were also killed trying to rescue the family.

It was reported the six-year-old was travelling after being forced to flee their home after Israeli forces invaded their area but remained trapped in their vehicle after forces targeted their car.

PRCS had documented sounds of gunshots during a call with Rajab, who was begging for emergency services to rescue her.

"The killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab, her family and two paramedics may amount to a war crime," the experts said in a press statement.

Israeli claims its troops were not in the area at the time were "unacceptable", they added.

The Israeli embassy in Geneva said in a statement that its own army was investigating.

The UN experts said, "the absence of proper investigation and accountability" five months after the facts "is deeply troubling and may in itself amount to a violation of the right to life".

They also referred to "compelling evidence" on where the family's car was in relation to an Israeli tank "and how it was shot at from very close range using a type of weapon that can only be attributed to the Israeli forces".

"Audio recordings of calls between Hind and emergency services suggest that she was the only survivor in the car before she was also killed," the experts added.

The UN experts, while mandated by the Human Rights Council, do not speak in its name.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 38,919 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.