Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl from Gaza, became an enduring symbol of the horrors of the Palestine-Israel conflict when her calls for help went unanswered as a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance dispatched to rescue her was destroyed, killing two paramedics, earlier this year.
Who was Hind Rajab?
She died alongside members of her family, trapped in their car after it was attacked in Gaza on January 29. Hind and her relatives were caught in the crossfire while attempting to escape the conflict zone, and their status was unknown till February 10.
Later, her family reported that she was found dead in the ravaged vehicle along with her family members in the Tel al-Hawa area of Gaza City.
On Monday, protesters at Columbia University broke into a building on campus during the night, replacing the title of the legendary Hamilton Hall with “Hinds Hall” in honour of six year old Hind Rajab.
Hind’s grandfather, Baha Hamada, told AFP in February with teary eyes, “Hind and everyone else in the car is martyred,” and added, “[Family members] were able to reach the area because Israeli forces withdrew early at dawn today.”
Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, said, “I will question before God on Judgment Day those who heard my daughter’s cries for help and did not save her.”
PRCS blames Israel for targeting an ambulance
Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the PRCS, said, “We have been in constant panic and fear over the last 12 days. We were unable to send anyone else to the area so we were uncertain regarding their fate. We wondered if they were dead or alive.”
“Today, Hind’s family arrived at the location after the Israeli military withdrew from the area and they found her inside the car with her dead family beside her.”
Gaza City has been ravaged by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, leaving countless families like Hind’s seeking safety amidst the chaos.
The PRCS continues to mourn the loss of their colleagues and the young girl, whose pleas for rescue will remain a haunting reminder of the day’s events.
“They are shooting at us. The tank is next to me,” and the call was cut off by what sounded like gunfire, told Hind’s 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamadeh.
The PRCS released an audio recording of the call, where Hind’s cry can be heard: “Come take me. You will come and take me?”
The images of the mangled ambulance and the family’s car serve as a testament to the violence endured by civilians and aid workers alike.
“We have very clear red cross emblems on top of all of our ambulances,” Farsakh said. “This is horrible because when we have waited so many hours, leaving Hind appealing to us, crying, saying, please come pick me up, and then, unfortunately, although we have waited all of these hours to guarantee our safe access, it wasn’t a safe access.”
“The occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the site to rescue Hind,” the PRCS said while blaming Israel for targeting an ambulance.
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(Source: HT)
