On January 29, 2024, Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl from Gaza, was tragically murdered during the Israeli military invasion of Gaza. Hind and her family were trying to escape their neighbourhood in Gaza City when their car was struck by Israeli tank fire, killing her uncle, aunt and three cousins. Hind and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan, survived the initial attack and managed to call the Palestine Red Crescent Society for help. Tragically, during their communication, Layan was killed by a second round of Israeli fire, leaving Hind alone in the vehicle.

Despite desperate and repeated calls to emergency services, the rescue effort was hindered by ongoing Israeli shelling. It wasn’t until two weeks later, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, that paramedics found the bodies of both Hind and Layan. This horrifying incident highlights the ongoing war crimes perpetrated by Israeli forces against innocent Palestinian civilians.

''An investigation by Forensic Architecture later found that a total of 335 bullets were fired at the car and that the tank operators had a clear view of the two children inside the vehicle. This investigation also found that the IDF tank was placed only 13 to 23 meters away from the car of Hind's family. In just 6 seconds, 64 gunshots were fired on Hind's cousin, 15 year old Layan, while she was already on the call with the PRCS.''

Investigations into the attack revealed damning evidence, including satellite images that showed Israeli tanks in the area at the time of the incident. These findings contradicted Israeli military claims that no troops were present. Human rights organizations, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, have condemned the attack as a war crime and stated that the attack was a ''planned execution'' carried out by the Israeli army.

In honor of Hind Rajab, the Hind Rajab Foundation was established to pursue justice for her death and the deaths of countless other Palestinians. The foundation is actively working to hold Israeli soldiers accountable, using evidence gathered from social media and independent investigations to build legal cases. The foundation has launched legal proceedings against those responsible for the killings, calling for international justice and an end to the occupation.

THE HIND RAJAB FOUNDATION

The United Nations has also expressed grave concerns over the killings, with experts describing the attack on Hind and her family as a war crime. They condemned the Israeli claims of no military presence in the area as false and unacceptable and called for an immediate halt to the ongoing attacks on Palestinian civilians.

The death of Hind Rajab has sparked protests and activism around the world, particularly among students in the U.S. who have renamed buildings in her honor. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the brutal reality Palestinians face under occupation and the urgent need for global accountability and justice for the countless victims of Israel’s actions in Gaza, especially against innocent civilians including men, women and children. 

Source: 

United Nations - https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/07/gaza-killing-hind-rajab-and-her-family-war-crime-too-many-warn-experts

Al-Jazeera - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/hind-rajab-were-israeli-troops-in-the-area-where-6-year-old-was-killed

The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/18/hind-rajab-israeli-state-atrocity

Hind Rajab Foundation - https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/memory

Hind Rajab Rajab at her graduation ceremony for senior kindergarten: