The Israeli army used a "double tap" strike when killing five-year-old Hind Rajab in 2024, analysis by a global campaign group found, as calls for accountability continue two years after the Palestinian's killing.
The US-based Avaaz NGO revealed that a reconstruction of the ambulance mission approved to aid Rajab showed "substantial evidence of a deliberate 'double tap' tactic" in a report shared exclusively with Al Jazeera .
The tactic means carrying out two strikes on the same target and is often used to kill or injure medics and civilians who are rushing to aid people from the first attack.
"The brief brings together the timeline of events up to and beyond Hind's death, showing what Israeli forces must have been aware of at each stage, and the frequent opportunities they had to pull back from murder," Avaaz told the network.
The group said its report documents over 40 human rights violations and ties together how those violations are evidence of a double-tap attack on the hospital workers.
"Each violation builds to an alarming possibility: Israel is not only killing Palestinians – it is systematically killing those who try to save them," the group said.
"The message is clear: If the medical community tries to help, it will be extinguished."
The group highlight that the Israeli army knew when the paramedics would arrive to Hind's aid, with the ambulance receiving permission from COGAT, an arm of the Israeli military. Avaaz adds that the vehicle was not attacked in a way it could have been perceived as a warning shot if the military thought otherwise, saying it "points to lethal targeting".
The report also says that since three hours had passed between the initial attack on Rajab's car and the final attack on the ambulance, it shows the Israeli army had an opportunity for "situational awareness, communication, and command decision-making".
Avaaz said the double strike constitutes a war crime, calling for the International Criminal Court to bring justice to those responsible.
"What I have done is establish a legal framework for the previous investigation. I think it is very important that we also look at what happened to the ambulance workers as well as what happened to Hind and her family," Sarah Andrew, legal director of Avaaz, told Al Jazeera .
Rajab and two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics were killed after an ambulance tried to save her on 29 January 2024, fleeing Israeli bombardment after Israel forced residents to leave the north.
Rajab was trapped in a car surrounded by six corpses of her family. Recordings between her and dispatchers from the Palestinian Red Crescent show Rajab pleading for help, begging for the ambulance to come and save her.
After the ambulance and a route were finally approved, the site was targeted by an Israeli strike, causing international outrage and condemnation.
The bodies of the nine victims were recovered 12 days later, with Rajab's family car found to be laden with 335 bullet holes.
While the Israeli military tried to deny its forces were present during the initial attack, investigations identified several Israeli Merkava tanks being present in the vicinity of the car , along with no evidence that the army engaged in fire with Palestinian fighters.