Above photo: Alamy Stock Photo.
Several soldiers involved in the deliberate killing of the Rajab family belong to an army unit calling itself the ‘Vampire Empire’.
A new Al Jazeera documentary released on 20 October has identified the Israeli soldiers and officers who were directly involved in the killing of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and her family last year, as well as the rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.
The investigation reveals the involvement of the Israeli army’s 401st Brigade. This includes Lt. Col. Daniel Ela and field officer Maj. Shon Glass.
According to the report, Glass was the one who ordered Israeli troops to fire the tank shells that killed the Rajab family in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa. He also ordered the attack on the ambulance teams sent to the rescue.
🚨BREAKING: A horrifying new investigation by Al Jazeera “What’s Hidden is Greater” reveals the Israeli soldiers and officers directly involved in the killing of 6 year old Hind Rajab, her family, and the ambulance crew that tried to rescue her.
Among them: officers from… pic.twitter.com/o4OHG8A2RE
— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) October 21, 2025
The soldiers belong to a unit calling itself the “Vampire Empire.”
Evidence analyzed by Forensic Architecture, as well as satellite imagery, found that their tank was within around 400 meters of the car carrying Hind and her family. The evidence also ruled out any crossfire.
A Forensic Architecture investigation from last year confirmed the Israeli army’s responsibility for the massacre of the Rajab family, refuting Israel’s denial that its forces were in the area and at the time of the killings.
Hind and her relatives were killed on 29 January 2024 while fleeing their neighborhood in Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the area. Their bodies were finally recovered 12 days later.
After the Israeli tank gunner killed Hind’s 15-year-old cousin Layan, Hind was the only person left alive in the car. PCRS dispatchers sent paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun in an ambulance to rescue her. When they reached the site of Hind’s car, they were immediately killed.
Over 330 bullets were fired at the car carrying the Palestinian family.
The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), named after the six-year-old victim, was founded months later and launched a global effort to legally pursue Israeli soldiers involved in war crimes in Gaza.
HRF has announced submitting a full legal case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Glass, Ella, and dual Israeli-Argentinian citizen Itai Shukerkov, who took part in killing Hind.
Another 21 soldiers “who directly participated in or facilitated the attack” are also being pursued, HRF said.
“The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC to … expand the investigation to include the Vampire Empire Company, the 52nd Armored Battalion, and the 401st Armored Brigade and issue arrest warrants for the 24 identified perpetrators,” HRF said.
Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation at HRF, said the submission to the ICC “establishes a direct chain of command, operational control, and deliberate intent.”
The NGO also took part in the Al Jazeera documentary.
🚨 BREAKING:
The #HindRajabFoundation and @AJArabic reveal the full chain of responsibility behind the murder of 6-year-old Hind Rajab — uncovering who gave the orders, who carried them out.
Watch the documentary (Arabic with English subtitels.
🔗 https://t.co/tCt91tNVGy— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) October 20, 2025
The new investigation confirms that Tel Aviv has launched an organized effort to smuggle wanted soldiers out of foreign countries via private planes and military bases, before they can face legal action.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has helped soldiers vacationing abroad escape legal action.
According to HRF, over 1,000 legal cases against Israeli soldiers and officers have been filed across the world.
Al Jazeera has also revealed a document containing a list of the names of nearly 30,000 Israeli Air Force pilots and personnel who took part in military operations during the genocide in Gaza.
Al-Jazeera reveals a leaked document containing a list of nearly 30,000 Israeli Air Force pilots and personnel who took part in military operations during the genocide in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/4fN4zmr122
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 20, 2025
