One year since her murder, Hind Rajab’s name echoes as emblem of Palestinian struggle

By Alireza Akbari

The pro-Palestine advocacy group Hind Rajab Foundation, named after the 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, issued a statement on Wednesday, honoring the memory of the girl and her family on the first anniversary of their killing by Israeli regime forces in Gaza.

“We carry her name with pain, hope and an unyielding determination to seek justice—for her and for all the victims of the Gaza genocide… Hind will never be forgotten,” read the statement, reminding how the tragic story of Hind has become a beacon for justice against the Zionist occupation.

Hind was one of the thousands of Palestinians who fell victim to Israeli genocidal war crimes last year on this day -- January 29. Her tragic story resonated widely, sparking global protests.

Her story resonated far beyond her own tragedy as it symbolized the ruthless and systemic cruelty faced by Palestinians under the Zionist occupation, especially amid the genocidal war.

Similar to thousands of Palestinian children who were killed before and after her, the story of Hind presented a case of collective punishment that Israel has been inflicting on civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, especially children, as well as the deliberate targeting of healthcare workers.

It was in January 2024 when Hind and her four cousins, aunt, and uncle, attempted to flee the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City to a safer place after Israeli forces launched deadly raids there.

As they were trying to relocate in their Kia Picanto car, an Israeli military unit indiscriminately opened fire at them in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in the southern part of the besieged Palestinian strip.

Hind’s cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamada, made an urgent call to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), stating that they were being targeted, a tank was getting closer, and that everyone in the car besides Hind and her was killed.  

Moments after, gunshots were heard once again, and Layan’s screaming abruptly stopped. Hind survived the initial attack but was left trapped in the wreckage. She was surrounded by the dead bodies of her family members, including her cousin Layan.

The PRCS stayed in contact with Hind, as they attempted to gain permission from the Israeli occupation army to send paramedics to the location to save her.

Hind’s three-hour conversation with a PRCS worker later went viral on social media. “I’m so scared, please come,” were the last words of the innocent girl, which still echo in the territory. 

Around 6 pm local time that day, PRCS paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun left Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City in an ambulance to rescue Hind, believing she was still alive.

After they arrived at the location of the car, they were never heard from again. The last thing captured on a call between the two paramedics and the PRCS communication team was an explosion.

Control room: Can you see the car?

Ambulance: I can’t see a thing here.

Control room: Do you have your siren and flashing lights on?

Ambulance: Just the lights, not the siren.

Ambulance: … oh there it is!

Two weeks after the attack, when the Israeli military finally evacuated the area, the decomposed bodies of Hind, Layan and their family members were discovered by locals.

A few meters away, the burnt-out ambulance was found with the remains of the two paramedics.

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 Israeli military 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.

One year later, Hind is remembered as more than a victim of Israel’s genocidal campaign—she has transformed into a powerful symbol of resistance, a child whose life and story demand justice.

Now the ceasefire has been reached in Gaza, almost a year after the murder of Hind, with hundreds of thousands of people returning to what remains of their homes in the besieged territory. 

Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), however, has vowed to hold the regime forces accountable for the war crimes committed against Palestinians in the besieged territory for more than 470 days.

The Brussels-based foundation aims to break the cycle of Israeli impunity and bring the perpetrators to justice, which has been evidenced by its intensified efforts in filing legal cases in different countries against regime soldiers, commanders and ministers over horrendous war crimes in Gaza. 

According to the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, Rajab, her family, and the two paramedics who attempted to save Hind were all victims of a serious and complex crime that included multiple grave violations and war crimes.

The soul-stirring case of Hind echoed widely across the country last year, including in the United States. At Columbia University, "Hamilton Hall" was renamed as "Hind's Hall" in honor of the girl.

Angry protesters, who had been calling for the university’s divestment from firms that aid and abet the Israeli genocide in Gaza, carried barricades and gate-crashed into the iconic hall in May 2024.

The student action came two weeks after the university president Minouche Shafik in a controversial move invited the New York police to violently break the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment," which was followed by the arrest of more than 100 students.

Hind Rajab Foundation, which has identified several Israeli regime soldiers and filed complaints regarding their war crimes in the Gaza Strip, came into existence in September 2024.

It chose Hind’s name carefully and deliberately to confront and dismantle narratives that obscure the reality of Israeli atrocities, ensuring that the voices of their victims are heard and remembered.

The foundation operates as part of the March 30 Movement, which was formed in response to the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza that began in early October 2023.

In October 2024, the foundation filed a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for committing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

Described by many as unprecedented, the foundation submitted the complaint backed by over 8,000 pieces of evidence, including videos, audio recordings, forensic reports, and social media documentation, pointing to Israeli soldiers' involvement in the genocidal war on Gaza.

Unprecedented complaint: Hind Rajab Foundation files war crimes case against Israeli soldiers in Gaza

Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a groundbreaking complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli soldiers for genocidal war crimes in Gaza.

The complaint meticulously identified all 1,000 Israeli soldiers by name, demonstrating their “direct involvement” in systematic attacks on Gaza's civilian population. The evidence, carefully collected and verified, illustrates significant violations of international law, including:

Destruction of civilian infrastructure: Targeted attacks on homes, hospitals, schools, markets, mosques, and other civilian infrastructure.

Illegal occupation and looting: Soldiers were documented occupying civilian homes, looting personal belongings, and exploiting occupied properties.

Participation in the Gaza blockade: The soldiers played an active role in enforcing a blockade that deprived civilians of essential goods such as food, water, and medical supplies.

Targeting civilians: Audio and video evidence shows soldiers deliberately attacking non-combatant individuals, including medical personnel and journalists.

Use of inhumane warfare tactics: Indiscriminate bombing campaigns, starvation, and the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure were all part of their actions.

The complaint also included high-ranking Israeli military officers and commanders responsible for orchestrating and executing military offensives against Palestinians in Gaza.

Nearly two months after the submission of the complaint, an X account associated with the Israeli spy agency Mossad issued a warning to regime soldiers against sharing personal photos on social media.

“Do not post a picture of yourself in the battlefields of Gaza or elsewhere,” it said, underscoring the risks of exposure to an identity-revealing campaign targeting members of the Israeli forces.

The X page affiliated with Mossad highlighted concerns over a group identifying Israeli soldiers and sharing their details with foreign authorities in countries where the soldiers might be vacationing.

It warned Israeli soldiers that they may be "arrested" and their vacation could turn into a "nightmare.” Notably, Its reference was to the Hind Rajab Foundation.

"It is too late; the evidence has been documented. War criminals who have essentially testified against themselves will not escape justice," the foundation responded to the advisory.

Mossad’s warning followed an earlier notice by the Israeli military in early December, advising around 30 soldiers to avoid traveling abroad due to legal complaints filed against them for war crimes.

In its latest move to hold the regime accountable, the foundation’s chief Dyab Abou Jahjah filed a criminal complaint against an Israeli minister Amichai Chikli for “making terrorist threats against him.”  

Chikli had previously issued a threatening message to Jahjah on X which read, “Hello to our human rights activist. Watch your pager.” Jahjah condemned the move as “a blatant act of terrorism and incitement,” announcing plans to pursue legal action against Chikli.

To date, the HRF has filed a thousand cases at the ICC, and tens of cases all across the world in various jurisdictions.

Among recent cases, a criminal complaint filed in Brazil against Yuval Vagdani led to the Brazilian federal court ordering the federal police to conduct investigative measures against the soldier.

This case represented a historic legal development in international law; IOF soldiers who acted with impunity in Gaza, will not be able to travel without facing the risk of accountability for their crimes.

Some of the most recent complaints were filed in Spain, Austria, Germany and Thailand.

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