The Tragic Death of Hind Rajab: A Child’s Plea Amid Gaza’s Violence

On January 29, 2024, in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, a five-year-old Palestinian girl named Hind Rajab became a symbol of the devastating toll of the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza. Trapped in a bullet-riddled car surrounded by the bodies of her family, Hind’s desperate pleas for help over a three-hour phone call with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) captured the world’s attention. Her story, marked by unimaginable fear and loss, underscores the human cost of the ongoing conflict and raises serious questions about accountability for what independent experts have called a potential war crime.

Hind, who dreamed of becoming a dentist, was fleeing with her aunt, uncle, and four cousins in a black Kia Picanto, following Israeli evacuation orders. As they navigated the dangerous streets of Tel al-Hawa, their vehicle came under fire. Hind’s 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamadeh, made a frantic call to the PRCS, crying, “They are shooting at us. The tank is right next to me.

We’re in the car, the tank is right next to us.” Amid her screams, gunfire erupted, and Layan was killed while still on the line. When dispatchers called back, it was Hind who answered, her small voice trembling as she said, “I’m so scared, please come. Everyone else is dead.” For three hours, she stayed on the phone with PRCS dispatcher Rana Faqih, who tried to comfort her as she hid among her family’s bodies, reporting that an Israeli tank was still nearby. At one point, Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamadah, was patched into the call, pleading with her daughter to stay strong. But around 7 p.m., after Hind reported bleeding and growing weaker, the line went silent.