Six-year-old Hind Rajab begged to be saved after her family’s vehicle was hit by gunfire in Gaza City, leaving her by herself, scared, and hurt, with the bodies of her deceased relatives all around her.
In a panicked phone conversation with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, she had remarked, “I am so scared.” “Call someone to come get me, please.” But on Saturday, Hind’s body was found beside her relatives and the two PRCS rescue personnel who had been dispatched to find her, following over two weeks of desperate attempts to get in touch with her.
The devastating finding was corroborated by the Gaza Strip’s assistance organization and health ministry, both of which placed the blame on Israeli forces.
The predicament of Hind highlighted the unfeasible circumstances for civilians in the face of Israel’s four-month assault on Gaza, as audio recordings of her panicked conversation with rescue personnel from 12 days ago horrified listeners.
Aid organizations are cautioning that families and children are suffering the most from Israel’s conflict with Hamas, and this coincides with Hind’s widely reported case. According to UNICEF, children are dying in Gaza “at an alarming rate.” When Hind was last heard from, he and other family members were trying to escape Gaza City from an Israeli assault when they were stuck in the family car.
