Today I remember Hind Rajab. A Palestinian child whose life was taken far too soon. two years ago today, she was killed by Israeli forces.
On 29th January 2024, Rajab and her family had left a home that morning and driven north, when the Israeli military ordered residents to leave the area and head south. But the driver was unable to head south because the road was blocked with debris from Israeli airstrikes.
Hind and her relatives were fired on by an Israeli tank when trying to flee to safety. Everyone in the vehicle was killed by the initial attack except Hind and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan. Layan called the Palestinian Red Crescent but was killed shortly after, leaving Hind on the line.
The two medics who were dispatched, Youssef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, in a vehicle marked as a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance to rescue her, were also targeted by Israeli tank fire as they approached. They were both killed.
The world heard her crying, begging for help on the phone, as the occupation opened fire on their car, They terrorised her for five hours before they killed her. She was 3 months shy of her 6th birthday.
Subsequently the recording of Hind’s call to the Red Crescent spread across the world. Hind Rajab's last words were, “I’m Hind Rajab. Please, don’t leave me. I’m all alone. The tanks are here. They are shooting at me. Please come.”
"I’m not talking because every time I talk, blood comes out of my mouth and makes my dress dirty, and I don’t want my mom to have to clean it.”
One of the most shocking Israeli war crimes. How terrified that little child must have been. She was found dead nearly two weeks later, sparking international outrage and calls for an independent investigation.
When the area became accessible, a forensic investigation led by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, supported by independent analysts and investigative journalists, examined the car and documented at least 335 bullet impacts. The IDF denies involvement and no one has yet to face charges.
Hind is one of the at least 20,179 children who have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 2023 - according to the latest reports from the United Nations. The real figure is likely much higher. No one should ever again utter the lie that Israel has a “right to defend itself.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab https://uk.thevoiceofhindrajabfilm.com/home/ was recently nominated for an Oscar, the film incorporates audio of real phone calls from Hind as she was trapped under Israeli fire for hours. Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania says Hind’s mother gave permission to do the film, hoping it would bring justice for her daughter. What I most respected about the director of 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' was her decision not to dramatize the confirmation of Hind’s martyrdom. Instead, she entrusted the mother to narrate what happened, because all our words and feelings pale in comparison to a mother’s heart .
Hind’s mother, Wessam, has been working relentlessly alongside The Hind Rajab Foundation in the pursuit of justice. They have identified the names, ranks, units and chains of commands of 24 perpetrators and are building solid legal cases against every one of them.
Justice for Hind Rajab requires not only her killers to be brought to justice. The architects of the genocide in Gaza must be held accountable too.
Please consider donating here to support the The Hind Rajab Foundation in their mission in seeking “justice for Hind and for every victim of genocide”
Two years on, Hind Rajab’s name remains a symbol of "Israel’s" genocide against Gaza and its relentless killing of Palestinian children. May Hind Rajab's memory be a reminder of the lives stolen, the futures denied, and the urgency of bearing witness.Never forgive, never forget.
We should never, ever, ever, ever forget Hind Rajab nor the thousands of thousands Palestinian/Gazan children that have lost their lives in just these last couple of years alone, who remain forever in our hearts.
Hind, and all children her age, should be able to spend their time laughing and playing with friends, surrounded by love deserving a beautiful life, filled with growth, joy, and the warmth of a thriving family and community.—not witnessing unimaginable tragedy, only to become its victim.
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