Justice for Hind Rajab Act Would Launch US Investigation Into Killing of 5-Year-Old Palestinian Girl

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” continues to be heard, this time as two United States lawmakers have introduced legislation that would get the American government to investigate the 2024 killing of the 5-year-old Palestinian girl at the center of the Oscar-nominated movie.

Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Sara Jacobs announced their Justice for Hind Rajab Act on Thursday, in an attempt “to provide comprehensive answers on the death of Hind and broader patterns of civilian harm in Gaza to reassert the United States’ commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the prosecution of war crimes,” per The Hollywood Reporter.

“Five-year-old Hind should still be alive today. She was a beautiful and brave little girl with her whole life ahead of her,” California’s Jacobs said in a statement. “I was horrified by reports of the Israeli Defense Forces firing over 300 bullets at her and her family while they were simply trying to escape Gaza. No child should have to face that kind of terror, and no family should have to carry that kind of loss. That’s why I’m incredibly proud to partner with Senator Welch to deliver justice and accountability for Hind Rajab’s murder and all the civilian harm in Gaza. Hind’s story is a devastating reminder of the daily reality faced by Palestinians – and we won’t rest until they have safety, security and peace.”

“Hind Rajab, her family, and the paramedics who tried to save them, should be alive today. This was not a ‘fog of war’ situation. There wasn’t any reason for the IDF to believe Hind and her family — who were trying to escape the fighting in Gaza — posed a threat,” Vermont’s Welch added. “We need answers and accountability for the deaths of Hind, her family, and the paramedics who came to their rescue.”

Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in September, winning the Grand Jury Prize. It is nominated this weekend at the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, representing Tunisia (though it is a co-production with France).

“January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her,” according to the film’s logline. “Her name was Hind Rajab.”

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