Killing of Hind Rajab

By November 2023, about a month after the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, much of Gaza was heavily damaged and largely deserted and bombed-out. By December 2023, the healthcare system in Gaza was close to collapse due to Israeli attacks and a blockade of humanitarian aid. Northern Gaza was particularly affected, as there were no functioning hospitals in the area by December due to shortage of supplies, fuel and staff. == Killing ==

On 29 January 2024, Rajab along with six of her family members were fleeing from the Gaza City neighborhood of Tel al-Hawa, when an Israeli army tank shot their vehicle, a black Kia, killing Rajab's aunt, uncle, and three cousins. The only other survivor, Rajab's 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamadeh, called the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for emergency aid. Hamadeh was crying, further adding that "They are shooting at us. The tank is right next to me. We're in the car, the tank is right next to us." Hamadeh was heard screaming as she was killed under the sound of machine gun fire raking the car while still on the line with responders. When the dispatchers called back, Rajab answered the call, stating everyone else in the car was dead Rajab stayed on the line with the PRCS for three hours, telling the dispatcher, "I'm so scared, please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?" Rajab, who was instructed to continue hiding in the vehicle, was set to be rescued by a PRCS ambulance. The audio of the phone call between the PRCS, Hamadeh and Rajab was published by the Red Crescent on 3 February. The ambulance reported that they were being targeted by the Israeli military with lasers; according to the Washington Post, social media posts suggest that these lasers have in the past also been used by Hamas, but that a researcher at the Institute for the Study of War had not observed the use of such lasers by either side in the conflict. The fate of Rajab and the paramedics was unknown until 12 days later on 10 February 2024, when the family returned after the withdrawal of the Israeli military, discovering the car with Rajab, Hamadeh, and the rest of her uncle's entire family deceased. The windows were blown out, and the doors were covered with bullet holes. The Red Crescent ambulance was found a few feet away, completely destroyed with two ambulance workers, Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, also killed. == Investigation ==

According to an initial investigation from the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Rajab and her relatives were killed by the Israeli army in a "planned execution"; using a US-made missile, the IDF also killed the Red Crescent paramedics sent to rescue the young girl. Shell fragments of an American-made M830A1 projectile were found at the site of the bombed Red Crescent ambulance that was looking for Rajab and her family. A spokesperson for the U.S. government said that it would wait for Israel to conclude its investigation of the incident. An IDF spokesperson stated there were no IDF troops near the vehicle or within firing range and that, due to the lack of troops, ambulance coordination was unnecessary to rescue Rajab. In response to the IDF statements, Al Jazeera stated, "Israel has a history of swiftly clearing its troops of any wrongdoing in cases of abuse against Palestinians." An Al Jazeera investigation further found that three Israeli tanks were in the vicinity of Rajab's family vehicle at the time of the attack. The investigation was reportedly handed over to the General Staff Fact Finding Assessment Mechanism, described as an independent military body that investigates unusual incidents. The United States has also raised calls for Rajab's death to be investigated in a timely manner, stating they were "devastated" about Rajab's death. PRCS told The Intercept that the Israeli military never contacted it regarding the killing of Rajab and the attack on its ambulances, refuting the State Department's remarks that PRCS and the United Nations had rebuffed Israeli efforts to investigate the incident. An investigation conducted by The Washington Post in April 2024 countered claims made by the Israeli military. The investigation, which used satellite imagery, concluded that Israeli armored vehicles were in the vicinity of the car where Rajab was killed, and the 300mm hole on the Red Crescent ambulance is consistent with an Israeli tank round, although it cautioned that this was just one explanation, as "there is little data on craft-produced Hamas munitions". The Post also confirmed that the wreckage of the ambulance was found on a route provided by COGAT, an arm of the Israeli Defense Ministry that coordinates safe passages for medical vehicles with the IDF. Independent experts appointed in July 2024 by the United Nations Human Rights Council stated Rajab's killing might amount to a war crime. On 13 February 2024, the human rights group Justice For All submitted a case to the ICC charging the IDF with multiple war crimes for the killing of Rajab. On 3 May 2025, which would have been Hind's seventh birthday, the Hind Rajab Foundation claimed that it had identified the commander of the battalion that had killed Hind as Lieutenant Colonel Beni Aharon of the 401st Armored Brigade, and filed a war crimes complaint against him with the ICC. == Response and impact ==

at Columbia University "Hind's Hall" after the Gaza Solidarity Encampment During the 12 days she was missing, Rajab's case garnered international attention with calls by activists and humanitarian organizations to find her and bring her to safety. Her mother begged for the international community not to forget her daughter and to bring her home. The Palestine Red Crescent Society utilized their social media accounts to post photos of both paramedics and Rajab for multiple days, while appealing for information about their locations. Rajab's mother condemned the Israeli army after the confirmed death of her daughter, stating, "How many more mothers are you waiting to feel this pain? How many more children do you want to get killed?". In April 2024, pro-Palestinian student protesters participating in the occupation of Columbia University in New York City seized Hamilton Hall, an academic building on the university's campus. The students unfurled a large banner renaming the building "Hind's Hall" in honor of the child. During a segment on CNN that discussed the renaming of the hall, host Kasie Hunt explained to viewers: "Hind is a reference to a woman who was killed in Gaza." This description was criticized as an example of the adultification of Palestinian children and a pro-Israel bias on CNN. On 16 May, student protesters at the University of California, Berkeley, occupied an abandoned historic campus building known as the Anna Head complex and renamed it "Hind's House". Owen Jones argued in an August 2024 editorial that Rajab's killing fit into a pattern of other Israeli atrocities; he wrote, "After each atrocity it perpetrates, the Israeli state has a standard modus operandi: deny, deflect, deceive, and wait for attention to move elsewhere." The Hind Rajab Foundation, an organization dedicated to holding Israeli soldiers accountable for alleged war crimes, is named after her. At the one year anniversary from Rajab's killing, a vigil was organised at Zuccotti Park in New York by Palestinian groups on 29 January 2025. As a reaction, the group Betar US announced a counter-protest at the park, calling the event a "jihad rally" and promised to record the attendees in an effort to get them deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At the vigil, hecklers shouted "Show us your faces so we could get you deported," and "We’re with ICE," then repeatedly chanting, "ICE, ICE, ICE," according to a video posted by the group. Social media personality Ms. Rachel stated that she had been in contact with Rajab's mother. In September 2025, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a report concluding that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. The report included the killing of Hind Rajab and her family as an example of the genocidal act of killing members of the group. == Depiction in media ==

In May 2024, American rapper Macklemore released "Hind's Hall", a protest song honoring Rajab and supporting student protests. He criticized the music industry's supposed prioritization of "petty issues" such as the Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud over the war. As part of the track's release, Macklemore stated that all proceeds generated from streams would go towards UNRWA. In September 2024, he followed up with "Hind's Hall 2", which also directed its proceeds to UNRWA. The new track featured vocals from Palestinian rapper MC Abdul, Palestinian-American singer Anees, author and activist Amer Zahr, and choir vocals from the L.A. Palestinian Kids Choir, Lifted! Youth Gospel Choir, Tiffany Wilson, and Friends. In 2025, three films about Hind Rajab were released; the Dutch short film Close Your Eyes Hind by Syrian-Dutch filmmaker Amir Zaza premiered at the 2025 Netherlands Film Festival where it won the Golden Calf for Best Short Film; the Tunisian feature film The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania follows the events from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement volunteers' point-of-view, it had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival where it won the festival's Grand Jury Prize. And the Jordanian short film Hind Under Siege by Jordanian-Palestinian filmmaker Naji Salameh, which premiered at the inaugural Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema on 27 October 2025, where it won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Short Film. == Disinformation ==

The Israeli government has created nine websites that post baseless theories about the killing of Hind Rajab, blaming it on involuntary "crossfire" or even on Palestinian fighters. The websites, which are part of Israel's public relations program to improve its international image after the Gaza war, are maintained by Clock Tower X, a company founded by Bard Parscale. == See also ==