They killed her twice’: Hind Rajab’s mother
mourns girl, 6, found killed in Gaza
Chantal Da Silva Sun, February 11, 2024 at 10:04 AM PST·4 min read.
‘They killed her twice’: Hind Rajab’s mother mourns girl, 6, found killed
in Gaza TEL AVIV —
For days, Hind Rajab’s mother had held on to hope
that her six-year-old daughter was still alive — but on Saturday, she was
clinging to all she had left of her child: A notebook, a pencil and a paper
crown. Twelve days after she went missing, Hind was found killed — her
body still lying in the car from which she’d made a desperate plea for help
while trapped under Israeli fire.
“This is the most difficult feeling, to lose your daughter,” Hind’s mother,
Wissam Hamadah, told NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza. “This
occupation did not have mercy on her.”
Just meters away from the battered and bullet-ridden vehicle, first
responders and members of Hind’s own family also found a burned-out
ambulance with the remains of the two first responders who tried to save
her, the Palestine Red Crescent Society told NBC News.
“They killed her twice,” Hamadah said. “And killed the paramedics that
were trying to save her.”
Hamada showed NBC News’ crew the possessions she said Hind had
treasured before she was killed. “This is her weapon, a crown that she
was wearing,” she said.
Hind was fleeing heavy fighting in the neighborhood of Tel Al-Hawa in
Gaza City in a car with her aunt, uncle and four cousins, when a bombing
near a gas station was believed to have killed her family members,
according to her family and the Red Crescent.
Hind, who the Red Crescent said was 6 years old, survived along with
her 15-year-old cousin Layan, who called emergency dispatchers for
help, warning that an Israeli tank appeared to be closing in.
A burst of gunfire rang out and the line went dead, the Red Crescent said.
And when dispatchers called back, it was Hind who answered. She said
Layan had been killed along with the rest of her relatives and pleaded for
help.
“Come take me. Please, will you come?” she could be heard imploring in a
recording of the call, which was released by the Red Crescent. At one point,
dispatchers asked her if she was surrounded by gunfire, and in a small voice,
Hind replied, “yes.”
Palestinian girl Hind who remains trapped amid desperate efforts to recover
her safely in Gaza (via PRCS). Dispatchers stayed on the phone with Hind
for hours as they sought permission from the Israeli military through a
third party to send a rescue crew into the area, which was considered an
active combat zone, the Red Crescent said.
Once permission was secured, two first responders, Yousef Zeino and Ahmed
al Madhoun, were deployed in a bid to save Hind, but the Red Crescent soon
lost contact with them, along with the little girl.
“Where is Hind? Where are Yousef and Ahmed? Are they still alive? We want
to know their fate,” the Red Crescent asked in a post on X one week ago as
the case gained attention across social media.
Yousef Zeino, left, and Ahmed al Madhoun were deployed in a bid to save
Hind, but the Red Crescent soon lost contact with them. (via PRCS)
At the time, the Israel Defense Forces told NBC News they were “unfamiliar
with the incident described.” Asked for comment by NBC News on Saturday
and Sunday, the IDF said it was looking into the matter.
After Israeli forces appeared to pull out of the Tel Al-Hawa area, a rescue
worker on the ground said crews were finally able to search for her on
Saturday morning, leading to the discovery of her remains. Hind's family
was also among the group that found her dead, the Red Crescent said.
NBC News was not able to independently verify the exact circumstances
surrounding the deaths of Hind, her relatives and the two paramedics who
tried to save the child. The Red Crescent accused the IDF of reneging on its
agreement to allow rescuers to try to save Hind, alleging Israeli forces had
instead attacked the ambulance.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the IDF said it had conducted a
targeted raid alongside the Israel Security Agency “on terror targets in
northern and central Gaza,” over the past two weeks, noting that forces
had been operating in the areas of Tel Al-Hawa and Shati.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the
incident Sunday as a “heinous crime” that it suggested should be investigated
by the International Criminal Court.
In a statement posted to X on Saturday evening, UNICEF Executive Director
Catherine Russell called the news of Hind’s death “heartbreaking.”
“How many more children will suffer and die before this nightmare ends?”
she wrote.
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its
assault after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, according to the Palestinian Health
Ministry. Around two-thirds of those killed are believed to be women and
children, according to United Nations estimates.
Hamadah previously told NBC News that her daughter had dreamed of
becoming a doctor and being able to help others. But on Saturday, she said
she could only hope her child can “rest in peace” — and that the pair will one
day be reunited.
“I hope I see you in heaven, my baby.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
