GAZA CITY — The trembling voice of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, echoes through the opening minutes of Kaouther Ben Hania’s new documentary, The Voice of Hind Rajab. Her words — “Please, I’m scared, come get me!” — were recorded on January 29, 2024, as she spoke by phone with emergency workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent while trapped inside a car struck by Israeli gunfire in the Tel Al-Hawa district, in southern Gaza City.
Hind was surrounded by the bodies of her family members — her uncle, aunt, and a young cousin — killed minutes earlier. She alone was still breathing. Red Crescent operators attempted to reassure the terrified child while urgently coordinating an ambulance dispatch. But, as is standard protocol, the vehicle’s route first required approval from Israeli authorities to ensure rescuers wouldn’t be targeted en route.
A Rescue That Never Reached Her
The sequence that followed has now been widely documented and broadcast far beyond the region. Hind waited in the car for a long time, repeatedly asking when help would arrive. When the Red Crescent ambulance finally approached the area, it was hit by a powerful explosion. Both the ambulance and the family’s vehicle were destroyed.
The bodies of Hind, her relatives, and the two Red Crescent paramedics — Youssef Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun — remained inaccessible until Israeli forces withdrew from the zone. Their remains were recovered and formally identified on February 10, 2024.
A Documentary as Testimony
Ben Hania’s film uses authentic audio records, emergency call logs, and testimony from surviving medics to reconstruct Hind’s final hours. The work raises difficult questions about civilian protection, humanitarian access, and the impact of frontline protocols during wartime operations.
The documentary has quickly become a reference point for discussions on armed conflict accountability, highlighting the emotional weight carried by a single child’s voice — a voice that, for minutes on end, tried to hold on to life.
FAQs
1. Who was Hind Rajab?
She was a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who died during an Israeli military operation on January 29, 2024, in Gaza City.
2. What does the documentary “The Voice of Hind Rajab” focus on?
It reconstructs the last hours of the child’s life using real audio recordings of her phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
3. Why couldn’t the ambulance reach her in time?
Red Crescent vehicles require Israeli authorization to move within active combat zones, which delayed the rescue operation.
4. What happened to the rescue team?
The Red Crescent ambulance was destroyed by an explosion, killing paramedics Youssef Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun.
5. When were the bodies recovered?
The remains were identified on February 10, 2024, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area.
