Hind Rajab is not the only Palestinian child in Gaza to fall victim to the genocidal Israeli war on the Strip. But finding her body, today, along with that of five other members of her family served as a reminder of the savagery of the Israeli onslaught on a besieged population in the Strip.
Hind is only six years old. The official news agency, WAFA said that she was found dead along with her family “after the vehicle they were traveling in was surrounded by Israeli tanks for nearly 12 days in the Tal Al-Hawa area, southwest of Gaza City.”
The sad news was confirmed by the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. The family car was trapped in the vicinity of the Finance Roundabout in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood.
For its part, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that two of its paramedics, Youssef Zaino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun, who were on a mission to rescue the little girl, were also found dead.
In this video, horrifying scenes show the deliberate targeting by the Israeli occupation of the PRCS ambulance, resulting in the killing of our colleagues Yusuf Al-Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun, who were just meters away from the child Hind. Hind tragically lost her life alone after… pic.twitter.com/PJiI6vtBei
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 10, 2024
12 days ago, on January 29, the PRCS had responded to a distressed call from the vehicle. WAFA, citing PRCS, said that the Israeli army had “deliberately targeted the ambulance immediately upon its arrival at the site, as it was found meters away from the vehicle containing the child Hind, despite obtaining prior coordination to allow its arrival to the site.”
What Happened
Hind was traveling with five members of her family, including her uncle Bashar Hamada, his wife, and their three children. Israeli tanks surrounded their vehicle and opened a barrage of gunfire towards them, immediately killing all of its occupants except Hind and her cousin, Layan.
The targeting of the family has shocked the world, especially since PRCS released an audio file revealing the conversation between Layan and the rescue workers.
What remains of the PRCS ambulance sent to rescue Hind Rajab 12 days ago. The ambulance was bombed by the Israeli occupation, resulting in the deaths of the crew, Yusuf Al-Zeino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun.#Gaza #NotATarget ❌#IHL #TheyKilled_Hind_YousefAndAhmed pic.twitter.com/TrCqRSvZYA
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 10, 2024
“Uncle, they’re shooting at us, the tank is next to us, we’re in the car, and there’s a tank next to us,” Layan was screaming.
At the time, PRCS released the following statement on X:
“Audio recording of the moment gunfire was directed at 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh while she was speaking on the phone with the Palestine Red Crescent team.
“Layan was killed, and 6-year-old Hind remained trapped inside the car surrounded by the occupation tanks and soldiers.
“Our ambulance team went to rescue her yesterday evening, but they have not returned as of now.
“We lost contact with them about 18 hours ago, and we still remain unaware of their fate and whether they succeeded in evacuating her or not.”
⏺️Audio recording of the moment gunfire was directed at 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh while she was speaking on the phone with the Palestine Red Crescent team.
💔Layan was killed, and 6-year-old Hind remained trapped inside the car surrounded by the occupation tanks and soldiers.… pic.twitter.com/iMHGdoRcni— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 30, 2024
Why Hind’s Story Matters
Aside from the sanctity of the life of a child, and that of her family, Hind’s story served as a reminder of the cruelty of Israel. But it also offered a ray of hope that if Hinds survived, Gaza’s children who remain alive could also survive the genocide.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, over 11,500 children have been killed since October 7
Moreover, according to UNICEF, 17,000 Palestinian children are left with one or no parents.
17,000 Children in Gaza Surviving without One or Both Parents
Several days after that ominous incident, it became clear that Hind had most probably been killed.
The confirmation of the tragic news arrived at a time when Israel has just declared that it intends to attack the city of Rafah, where over 1 million displaced Palestinian refugees are trapped between southern Gaza and the Egyptian border.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 27,947 Palestinians have been killed, and 67,459 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 8,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all of the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Scumbag Israelis.
Amen.