BARCELONA: Hundreds of protesters in Barcelona on Thursday unfurled a giant portrait of five-year-old Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed during Israel’s offensive on Gaza, to mark the second anniversary of her death. Her mother, Wesam Hamada, appealed for global attention to the plight of Gaza’s children.
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Hind’s final hours, spent trapped in a car under fire while pleading for help via mobile phone, were recounted in the award-winning film The Voice of Hind Rajab. The film, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year, is also nominated for an Academy Award. During the Israeli attack on January 29, 2024, Hind was trapped for hours while her aunt, uncle, and three cousins were killed. Contact was lost with both her and the medics who tried to reach her. Twelve days later, the bodies of Hind, her relatives, and two ambulance workers were recovered.
In Barcelona, demonstrators held a 55-metre-long tarp featuring Hind’s face alongside a large Palestinian flag and the message, “Free Gaza’s Children.” “The children of Gaza do not ask for pity. They ask for their right to live, to sleep without fear, to play without bombs, to grow up, just to grow,” said Hamada.
Jordanian-Canadian actress Saja Kilani, who portrayed a Palestinian Red Crescent first responder in the film, noted, “The voice of Hind Rajab did not stay in the car, it travelled across borders.”
The Israeli military said the incident is under review but declined further comment, reiterating that civilians were never deliberately targeted and alleging that Hamas militants endangered lives by using them as cover.
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Three months into a ceasefire after a two-year war, the UN describes Gaza’s humanitarian situation as “dire,” with children disproportionately affected by shortages of shelter, food, and healthcare. Aid agencies continue to call for international support to meet urgent needs.