The grandmother of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab has shared the tragic events leading up to her granddaughter's death in Gaza. According to her account, Hind and her family were trying to escape the violence when they decided to leave their home. Hind's uncle owned a car and offered to take his wife and children to safety, while the rest of the family, including Hind's grandmother, opted to walk.
Hind, who was 5 years and 6 months old, chose to ride in the car with her uncle's family, while her 3-year-old cousin, Iyad, insisted on walking with his grandfather. As they moved forward, Hind's uncle drove the car, and the family was about 100 meters behind them when they were suddenly fired upon. The family was unaware of the presence of tanks or ground forces in the area.
The car stopped, and the family assumed that those inside had gotten out, but they continued walking for 3-4 kilometers before realizing that the car had not reached its intended destination. During this time, they were able to communicate with Hind's cousin, Lian, who was inside the car with Hind. Lian informed them that she and Hind were alive, but the rest of the family members were injured.
The family tried to reach out to Lian and Hind, and they sent one of their sons to try and locate them, but he returned after finding the area surrounded by over 10 tanks, making it nearly impossible to reach them. The family attempted to convince Hind and Lian to get out of the car, but the girls refused due to fear of the soldiers nearby.
The family then coordinated with the Red Crescent to send an ambulance to the location. Lian, while talking to her family and telling them she was bleeding, was shot directly and killed. The family believed Hind had also been killed, but she contacted them again, revealing that Lian had been killed and she was still alive.
The family asked Hind to cover Lian's face, and they continued to try and coordinate with the Red Crescent to send an ambulance. According to Hind's grandmother, the family remained in contact with Hind from around 2 pm to 7 pm. An ambulance crew arrived at the scene between 6 pm and 7 pm and informed them that they had reached the location of the car and were inspecting it.
The grandmother revealed that the contact with Hind and the ambulance crew was suddenly cut off after they were informed that the crew had arrived at the scene and were preparing to take Hind to the hospital. The family heard the sound of the car door opening, and then the contact was lost.
Key points
- Israeli forces had surrounded the car with over 10 tanks, making it difficult for the family to rescue Hind and Lian.
- The family was able to communicate with Hind and Lian for several hours, trying to coordinate a rescue.
- The Israeli military has launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
