The Story Behind The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar Contender Pushing a Global Call for Justice for Gaza Victims

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On January 29, 2024, Israeli forces fired 335 bullets at a small black Kia in Gaza carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab Hamada and six relatives. Five of them were killed immediately. Later, Hind’s cousin was killed in a separate, close-range attack. Hind herself died several hours later from her injuries while waiting for medical assistance.

More than two years after the tragedy, Hind’s mother shares that while the pain of losing her daughter never fully disappears, it has evolved over time, and she is learning to cope with it each day. Wesam Rajab Hamada, now safe outside of Gaza, remembers Hind’s ambition to become a doctor, driven by a desire to prevent suffering. She envisioned a peaceful future where children could grow up healthy and without fear of violence or illness, and Hamada hoped to see her fulfill that dream by becoming a life-saving physician.

Hind has become a powerful symbol since her death, gaining international recognition. Her name surfaced during pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, where protesters renamed Hamilton Hall in her honor, a move that even inspired a song by Macklemore. While many – including lawyers, activists, and celebrities – have tried to use Hind’s story to demand accountability for alleged war crimes in Gaza, as documented by organizations like the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, it’s Kaouther Ben Hania’s film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, that has most effectively shared her story. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September and finally opened in the U.S. in December after a long search for distribution.

The film powerfully depicts the horrors experienced when humanitarian workers attempted to rescue Hind, using actual recordings from the Palestine Red Crescent Society from that day. It centers on the heartbreaking sound of a child pleading for help. With prominent figures like Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Alfonso Cuarón as executive producers, the movie won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and has since gained significant acclaim, receiving Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best International Film.

Ben Hania hopes this film will be a turning point, urging people to demand responsibility and fairness. He explains, “Without accountability and justice, we can’t achieve true peace.” He specifically aimed to reach those who disagree with his perspective, even those who firmly believe in the IDF’s morality, wanting to extend the conversation beyond his existing supporters.

An evacuation, interrupted

Hind’s last day was a blur of quick action followed by agonizing waiting. Almost four months into the recent conflict in Gaza, the Israeli army ordered people to leave the west of Gaza City, forcing the Hamada family to flee their home in Tel al-Hawa. At 9:32 a.m., Hind’s uncle started driving with his wife, their four children, Hind, and her brother Iyad, while other family members, including Wesam, walked. At the last second, Hind’s brother jumped out of the car to remain with his mother, but Wesam would never see her daughter again.

Just a quarter of a mile into their journey, Israeli gunfire struck the vehicle, killing everyone inside except for Hind and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan, according to a Washington Post investigation. Layan, in a panic, called her family, who then contacted the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for assistance. A PRCS dispatcher in Ramallah connected with Layan around 2:30 p.m. Layan reported being shot at, saying a tank was right next to her. She then screamed, followed by gunfire and silence. The Red Crescent immediately tried calling back, and Hind answered, revealing she was injured and the sole survivor.

According to the Washington Post and Forensic Architecture, the car was quickly encircled by Israeli army vehicles. Hind, on the phone, desperately begged for help, saying, “I’m so scared. Please come.” An ambulance was sent from the nearby Al-Ahli Arab Hospital after three hours. What should have been a quick trip was delayed because the Red Crescent had to get permission from Israeli authorities and coordinate with the military to ensure a safe path. This process was meant to guarantee safe passage and allow paramedics to reach Hind, but it caused significant delays.

The ambulance arrived at the location before 6:00 p.m., but was immediately fired upon by Israeli Merkava tanks using American-made ammunition. Hind, a patient inside, was seriously injured and losing consciousness. She stopped responding by 7:30 p.m. Twelve days later, after Israeli forces withdrew, journalists and rescue workers discovered Hind’s body, along with those of her six family members and the two paramedics who were in the ambulance just 50 meters away. Investigators determined the tanks were very close – between 13 and 23 meters – giving the soldiers a clear view of the people inside the vehicle.

The IDF initially told Sky News in February 2024 that its soldiers weren’t near the vehicle where a young girl was found, and were outside of any possible range to have fired upon it. However, the IDF later released reports—including videos—that contradicted this claim, showing their units were actually in the area at the time. These reports were later removed from the IDF’s website, as reported by Sky News.

Proceeding cautiously, but urgently

When Ben Hania learned about Hind Rajab’s death, she was still working to promote her 2023 documentary, Four Daughters. She felt overwhelmed and helpless – a feeling she strongly dislikes – and that feeling sparked the idea for a new film.

Director Kaouther Ben Hania often creates films that tackle important contemporary issues and gain recognition in Hollywood. Her Oscar-nominated film, Four Daughters, tells the true story of a Tunisian mother whose two daughters joined ISIS in 2016. Before that, her 2020 Oscar-nominated film, The Man Who Sold His Skin, satirized the way the art world sometimes exploits the stories of refugees.

The film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, tells the story of Hind’s death through the voices of the dispatchers who attempted to rescue her, using actual audio recordings of her. It’s a powerful example of ‘witness cinema,’ using film as a way to create empathy and spark important conversations that could lead to change.

Ben Hania explains he wanted to create a film that moved beyond simply telling a story. He felt cinema’s strength lies in its ability to foster understanding and connection, and he specifically aimed to make a movie that felt immediate and relevant to the present day.

Many people cautioned that it was too soon to make a film after Hind’s death, but director Ben Hania felt a strong sense of urgency. She explains, “Israel faces no consequences for its actions, and I made this film to demand justice. Remaining silent when people are killed daily makes you complicit in those actions.”

Ben Hania was determined to create the film with sensitivity and respect for everyone involved. One of her first actions was to contact Hind’s mother, seeking not only permission to include Wesam’s story, but also her support. Wesam happily agreed. She explained to TIME that she believes film can convey a deeper truth than statistics or news reports, and that if influential people watch such films with empathy, it could change how they understand the human impact of events in Gaza.

Eliciting authentic performances

To ensure accuracy, director Ben Hania cast Palestinian actors who shared a similar Arabic dialect and appearance with the actual Red Crescent dispatchers they were portraying. The actors prepared by speaking with these real-life individuals, and to capture authentic reactions, they didn’t hear the voice recordings of Hind until filming began. While this approach made the three-week shoot in Tunisia challenging, it resulted in remarkably genuine performances.

Motaz Malhees, who plays Omar Alqam, believes that acting isn’t about pretending, but about capturing a genuine moment. He described the experience on set as incredibly real, explaining that hearing the actual voice of a child pleading to be rescued was all he needed to feel deeply connected to the role. He says that anyone with empathy would have a powerful emotional reaction, and the authenticity of the voice was undeniable.

The actors were deeply affected by the desperation in Hind’s voice as she cried out, “Come get me! It’s hard to breathe. I can’t get out.” Saja Kilani, who plays Rana Faqih, Omar’s supervisor, explained that the director filmed scenes in long, uninterrupted takes to capture genuine emotion. “It felt incredibly authentic and unfiltered,” Kilani said. “This film, more than anything, was about truly listening.”

The film includes a moment where a character shows actual footage of the Red Crescent workers from that day, making it difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s acted. Nisreen Jeries Qawas, who directs mental health and psychosocial support at the PRCS and is played by Clara Khoury in the film, says it accurately depicted the terrifying experiences of Hind and her mother, as well as the dedication of the medical staff.

Working for justice, on the screen and beyond it

According to a U.N. report, over 20,000 children have been killed in the recent conflict, with thousands more likely missing or trapped under debris. While a ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, conditions in Gaza remain dire. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in tents with little protection from the elements or hunger. A therapist working in the region, Qawas, emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about individual cases like that of a child named Hind, while maintaining hope for the future.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, who founded the Hind Rajab Foundation, believes Hind’s death is a powerful symbol of what he calls a genocide. He named the organization after her, and it’s dedicated to bringing legal charges against Israeli soldiers accused of war crimes. The foundation’s legal team submitted a 120-page report to the International Criminal Court, arguing that Hind’s killing constitutes war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, as defined in the Rome Statute. The report specifically names 24 Israeli soldiers and three commanders who they allege were involved in the attack.

U.N. experts have labeled the events of that day a “war crime,” stating it was part of a larger pattern of civilians being killed while seeking safety from the fighting in Gaza. A recent investigation by the organization Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) found that since the start of the current conflict, Israel has either not yet completed investigations into 88% of alleged war crimes committed by its soldiers, or has closed those cases without finding any evidence of misconduct.

The Hind Rajab Foundation, an independent organization not associated with the film of the same name, is pursuing legal action in multiple countries under the principle of universal jurisdiction. They are filing lawsuits against Israeli soldiers accused of war crimes in Gaza, specifically targeting those with dual citizenship or who travel internationally. Since the start of the conflict, they’ve filed cases in nearly 30 countries. However, they haven’t yet been able to file a case in the United States, primarily due to the involvement of the Department of Justice in war crimes cases.

According to Abou Jahjah, a surprisingly large number of Americans are involved in the genocide, more than any other foreign nationality. Recent investigations by Declassified UK and the Israeli NGO Hatzlacha show that over 12,000 soldiers in the Israeli army have U.S. passports – nearly double the number of soldiers with French citizenship, making the U.S. the leading source of dual-national soldiers serving in the army.

Abou Jahjah believes that Americans who respect the legal system have a duty to speak out against this lack of accountability. He also emphasizes the importance of the film itself, stating that raising cultural understanding is vital – perhaps even more so than political or legal efforts. He argues that art has a unique power to achieve things that traditional institutions and leaders cannot.

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, a rising star in Arab cinema with three Oscar nominations in just five years, describes her film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, as a story about feeling powerless, but also as a plea to take action. The film centers on Hind’s voice as a symbol for the many Palestinians whose stories go untold or are forgotten. Hind’s mother explains that seeking justice means not only holding those responsible accountable, but also remembering the humanity of all Palestinian victims and refusing to reduce their lives to mere statistics.

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2026-03-03 17:07