Hind Rajab is a Palestinian child who lost her life in 2024 in the Gaza Strip when the vehicle she was in with her family was struck by Israeli forces. Audio recordings of her phone calls with the Palestinian Red Crescent during the incident were broadcast and generated widespread international public reaction. Her name was later given to the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), which has become one of the focal points for legal initiatives concerning allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Hind Rajab (هند رامي إياد رجب, Hind Rami Iyad Rajab) was born on 3 May 2018 in Gaza. At the time of the incident, she was five years old. She was a Palestinian child living in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. At the moment of the attack, Hind was in a vehicle with her uncle, her uncle’s wife, and three cousins, attempting to reach a safer area within the city.

The incident occurred on the morning of 29 January 2024 in the vicinity of Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City. The family left their home early that morning and departed the area by vehicle. On the same morning at 09:32, the Israeli military issued a statement requesting residents of western Gaza City, including Tel al-Hawa, to move southward. Satellite imagery indicated that the road to the south was blocked by debris from a recently bombed building.

Hind’s mother stated that shortly after leaving their home, the vehicle came under fire at a northern intersection. Satellite imagery shows military vehicles resembling Merkava-type Israeli armored vehicles at the intersection in question.

At the moment of the initial attack, four people in the vehicle were killed. Hind and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamade, survived and attempted to seek help. On 30 January 2024, the Palestinian Red Crescent released an audio recording to the public, confirming that Layan Hamade had called them following the attack and pleaded for assistance.

Around 14:30, the other child in the vehicle, Layan Hamade, dialed the emergency line. A 28-second recording published by the PRCS reveals Layan saying she was hiding inside the vehicle and that a tank was nearby, amid intense gunfire.

Acoustic analysis conducted by Earshot determined that 64 rounds were fired in six seconds, with a rate of fire between 750 and 900 rounds per minute, enabling technical inferences regarding the type of weapon used.

While Layan Hamade was calling for help, gunfire was heard, and shortly afterward, she died. Five-year-old Hind remained the sole survivor in the vehicle.

While trapped among the bodies of her relatives in the vehicle, Hind maintained telephone contact with Red Crescent personnel and repeatedly pleaded for rescue.

Hind’s final words to the Red Crescent personnel were: “Everyone is dead, come and take me, I don’t want to be left alone here. I am so scared, please send someone to get me.” These words became Hind Rajab’s last. For approximately three hours, she spoke on the phone with Red Crescent personnel, pleading to be rescued from among her deceased relatives.

Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson Nebal Farsakh described Hind Rajab’s final moments as follows: “Hind witnessed the moment Israeli soldiers shot her family. Trapped inside a vehicle with five corpses and surrounded by blood, the five-year-old girl waited for three hours for our teams to rescue her. She screamed in terror, repeatedly saying, ‘Please come and take me.’ Israeli tanks surrounded her, and she lived through sheer horror and panic.”^【1】

^{Vehicle Attacked: Kia Picanto (}Anadolu Agency⁾

According to the Forensic Architecture report, Hind and her family were in a Kia Picanto. The vehicle was filmed by journalists 12 days after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. Kinematic analysis of the vehicle’s position and physical deformation indicated that it may have been pushed from its front right bumper and that the distortion of the windshield could have resulted from being crushed by a vehicle similar to a bulldozer.

Satellite imagery shows the vehicle had moved between its position at the time of the attack and its location on 10 February. In an afternoon image taken on the day of the attack, the vehicle was visible in front of a gas station; by 8 February, it was found near a flower bed on a sidewalk.

A total of 335 bullet impacts were identified on the vehicle. Most entry holes were determined to have originated from the right side of the vehicle, enabling inferences regarding the probable locations of the shooters.

For 12 identifiable shots, the time difference between the supersonic bullet crack and the muzzle blast measured in the recording indicates that the shots were fired from a distance of 13 to 23 meters. This range suggests the shooter had a clear line of sight to the occupants inside the vehicle.

Simulations based on the alignment of entry and exit holes on the vehicle narrowed the possible firing position of the tank and confirmed that the tank crew had a direct line of sight to the people inside the vehicle.

At 17:40, permission was granted to send an ambulance, and two paramedics, Yusuf al-Zeyno and Ahmed al-Madhoun, departed from al-Ahli Hospital.

Upon arrival at the scene, the ambulance came under fire. During a radio communication with the PRCS, a loud explosion was heard immediately after the paramedics reported seeing the vehicle.

Satellite imagery revealed a large burn mark near the ambulance. Three-dimensional modeling confirmed the location of these marks and established the ambulance’s probable position at the time of the attack.

A 23×26 cm exit hole was identified on the ambulance’s left rear door, and a sabot fragment consistent with a 120 mm M830A1 HEAT-MP-T round was found nearby. The structure of the exit hole indicates the ambulance was struck by tank munitions.

Directional analysis combined with tank positions visible in satellite imagery confirmed that the attack was most likely carried out by an Israeli tank.

Approximately 12 days after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, on 10 February 2024, the vehicle containing Hind and her relatives was located near the Ministry Intersection in the Tel al-Heva neighborhood of Gaza City. On the same day, the bodies of the two paramedics were found approximately 50 meters from the ambulance.

Al Jazeera, on 29 January 2024, published the names of certain Israeli military officials alleged to be responsible for the killing of Hind Rajab, her family, and the medical personnel in the ambulance. The program identified Brigadier General Benny Aharon, commander of Israel’s 401st Armored Brigade, and Colonel Daniel Ella, commander of the 52nd Battalion, as the military officials implicated in the incident.

Diyab Abu Jahjah, founder and president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, claimed that the Israeli tank unit entering Gaza City was known as the “Vampire Empire,” and that its commander, Shaun Blass, had issued the order to kill Hind Rajab. It was also stated that the identities of several Israeli soldiers, including Argentine national Itai Shukerkov, had been identified.

^{Infographic on Hind Rajab (}Anadolu Agency⁾

The death of Hind Rajab triggered widespread international attention as one of the most harrowing examples of the impact of ongoing hostilities in Gaza on civilians. Following the emergence of the incident, various political actors called for the reaffirmation of obligations to protect civilian populations, the imperative that medical personnel in conflict zones must not be targeted, and the need for full transparency regarding the circumstances of the attack. These statements prompted divergent political assessments from regional actors and international institutions, creating a multidimensional debate.

Palestinian officials and certain regional political structures argued that the incident must be understood as part of a pattern of deliberate attacks on civilians, highlighting allegations of violations of international humanitarian law concerning the protection of children and medical workers. Assessments in this context emphasized that the deaths of civilians in the same vehicle as Hind Rajab and the paramedics dispatched to assist them were inconsistent with established rules guaranteeing the safety of medical personnel and humanitarian access in conflict zones. Some political actors noted that the targeting of the ambulance despite prior coordination required urgent clarification.

Internationally, following the incident’s revelation, human rights organizations and political representatives issued statements drawing attention to the rising number of civilian casualties and called for the activation of investigative mechanisms. Experts and institutions specializing in the law of armed conflict argued that an independent examination was necessary to determine whether targeting an area containing children and medical personnel complied with international norms. In this context, calls for transparent disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the incident and the identification of responsibility gained prominence.

The death of Hind Rajab also triggered a wave of legal initiatives. Several international legal experts and civil society organizations demanded investigations into whether the incident constituted a war crime or a crime against humanity, and legal proceedings have been initiated in various countries to assess individual accountability. These efforts have emphasized that the principle of protecting civilians in conflict zones must be upheld and that impunity must be prevented.

^{Diyab Abu Jahjah, Founder and President of the Hind Rajab Foundation (}Anadolu Agency⁾

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), named in honor of Hind Rajab, was established in September 2024 as a Brussels-based human rights organization. The foundation’s mission is to document war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza, initiate legal proceedings to hold perpetrators accountable before national and international judicial bodies, and serve as a voice for victims.

The foundation’s founder is political activist Diyab Abu Jahjah. After collecting evidence related to crimes committed in Gaza, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has transported these materials to countries with universal jurisdiction laws and has initiated legal proceedings against dozens of Israeli military personnel in eight countries to date.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” written and directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, centers on Hind Rajab’s experiences, particularly her phone calls with the Palestinian Red Crescent. The film incorporates original audio recordings of the emergency calls between Hind and the Red Crescent personnel. The production team includes Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, and James Wilson.

On 3 September 2025, the world premiere of “The Voice of Hind Rajab” took place at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received 23 minutes of standing ovation—the longest in the festival’s history.

Director Ben Hania decided to bring the project to life after first hearing Hind’s audio recording. During the scriptwriting process, she maintained prolonged contact with Hind’s mother and with Palestinian Red Crescent staff involved in the calls, shaping the narrative based on their testimonies.

The production received support from many internationally renowned actors and directors. Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jonathan Glazer are among the film’s executive producers. Phoenix and Mara also attended the film’s screening in Venice.