Israel to investigate Hind Rajab's killing; mother seeks independent inquiry

The mother of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza has called for an independent inquiry into her daughter Hind Rajab's death, deeming an Israeli military investigation insufficient.

Wesam Hamada expressed that her daughter's final pleas haunt her: "All I remember is her voice pleading, ‘Mama, I’m scared. Mama, I’m hungry. Mama, I’m hurt.’ Her voice keeps repeating in my ears." Hind became a prominent casualty of the Israel-Hamas war after a widely publicized recording captured her January 2024 phone call with her mother and emergency dispatchers.

Israel's military admitted to firing on the family's car as it fled an invasion and on an ambulance sent to help them, announcing a criminal investigation into its troops' actions. Six people in the car and two paramedics were killed. However, Rajab's family and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society doubt the Israeli investigation's impartiality and effectiveness.

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All I remember is her voice pleading, ‘Mama, I’m scared. Mama, I’m hungry. Mama, I’m hurt.’ Her voice keeps repeating in my ears.

"Why did the investigation and the acknowledgment of the shooting at Hind’s car and at the paramedics come only after more than two years?" Hamada questioned in an interview with The Associated Press. "It’s an attempt to distract from what’s happening in Gaza and improve the (Israeli) army’s image to the world. That’s it."

The story gained international attention after the Palestinian Red Crescent Society released recordings of Hind and her cousin Layan Hamada calling for help. The situation was further amplified by "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a film excerpting the recordings that received an Oscar nomination. On the recordings, gunfire erupts as Layan tells dispatchers her family was killed. More gunshots are heard, and Layan's screaming stops. Dispatchers reconnected with Hind, who was on the other end of the line. She informed them Layan was dead and Israeli tanks were advancing. The Red Crescent stayed in contact with Hind until the call dropped. Hind and five relatives were found dead in their car 12 days later, and the two medics sent to rescue her were also found dead nearby, their ambulance destroyed.

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Why did the investigation and the acknowledgment of the shooting at Hind’s car and at the paramedics come only after more than two years? It’s an attempt to distract from what’s happening in Gaza and improve the (Israeli) army’s image to the world. That’s it.