In Memory of Hind Rajab: A Symbol of Innocence Lost and a Legacy of Justice

We are deeply moved to share the story behind our new mural, a tribute to Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl whose tragic death has become a global symbol of the devastating human cost of the genocide. This page aims to provide a brief background on the incident that led to her untimely death, explain why her story resonated with millions worldwide, and introduce the vital work of the Hind Rajab Foundation, which was established in her memory.

On January 29, 2024, in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, Hind Rajab, her aunt, uncle, and three cousins were attempting to flee the area when their car came under fire from Israeli forces. The initial attack killed all of Hind's relatives in the car, leaving her and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamadeh, as the sole survivors. Layan made a desperate call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for help, but the line went dead after the sound of gunfire. Hind, now alone and surrounded by the bodies of her family, remained on the phone with emergency dispatchers for hours, her terrified voice pleading for rescue.

Two PRCS paramedics, Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, were dispatched in an ambulance to save her. However, they too were targeted, and all communication was lost. For twelve days, the fate of Hind and the paramedics remained unknown. On February 10, 2024, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, their bodies were discovered. The family car was riddled with bullet holes, and the ambulance was found completely destroyed nearby.

Watch the following Instagram video for Kevin Copeland drawing a crime scene with Hind's voice call in the background.

And the following is a video for the car after it was found.

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Hind Rajab’s story captured global attention for one devastating reason: the audio recording of her final moments. The harrowing pleas of a terrified child—abandoned, injured, and begging for help—cut through political rhetoric and resonated with a universal moral imperative to protect the most vulnerable. Released by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), the recording was widely disseminated on social media and broadcast by international media, igniting global condemnation and demands for accountability.

Hind’s voice became a symbol of the thousands of Palestinian children killed, maimed, or orphaned amid Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza—a campaign that the International Court of Justice has found plausibly constitutes acts of genocide, and which UN human rights experts have described as involving genocidal intent. Her story was not merely a news item; it was a visceral testament to the human toll of a systematic and disproportionate attack on a civilian population under siege, compelling the world to reckon with the grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law unfolding in real time.

The following video contains the audio of Hind Rajab's final phone call with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, with English subtitles. Please be aware that the content is distressing.

Hind Rajab's story has inspired memorials and demonstrations around the world. In Hamburg, Germany, on November 8, 2025, thousands gathered at a massive pro-Palestine demonstration and created a powerful memorial installation for Hind. The memorial featured a recreated scene of the bullet-riddled car with mannequins representing the victims, serving as a stark reminder of the tragedy and a call for justice.

 

In the wake of this tragedy, the Hind Rajab Foundation was established in Brussels, Belgium, as a legal arm of the March 30 Movement. The foundation is dedicated to seeking justice for Hind and all victims of the Gaza genocide by holding perpetrators of war crimes and human rights violations accountable.

The foundation's core mission is to break the cycle of impunity that has long protected those who commit atrocities against Palestinians. They achieve this through offensive legal action by filing criminal complaints against individuals in national and international courts, through meticulous evidence collection by documenting war crimes and human rights abuses (often using open-source intelligence and evidence from social media), and through global awareness campaigns by raising public consciousness about the realities of the conflict and challenging narratives that obscure the truth.

The Hind Rajab Foundation has already made significant strides in its quest for justice, having filed over 68 legal cases in various countries, including Spain, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as at the International Criminal Court (ICC). These cases target individuals accused of war crimes, from soldiers on the ground to high-ranking officials.

The foundation uses evidence gathered from Israeli soldiers' own social media posts to build cases and pursues those who have committed war crimes across different jurisdictions. Working with volunteer lawyers and activists, they use both national and international justice systems and conduct detailed investigations into chain of command and operational decisions.

New Evidence: Al Jazeera Documentary "Tip of the Iceberg"

On October 21, 2025, Al Jazeera Arabic aired a groundbreaking documentary titled "Ma Khafiya Aatham" (Tip of the Iceberg), produced in partnership with the Hind Rajab Foundation. The documentary revealed previously unknown details and identified the specific Israeli military units and commanders responsible for the killing of Hind Rajab, her family, and the two paramedics who attempted to rescue her.

Key Findings from the Documentary

The investigation identified the "Vampire Empire Company" of the 52nd Armoured Battalion (nicknamed "Ha-Bok'im" or "The Breachers") as directly responsible for the attack. This company operates under Israel's 401st Armoured Brigade and was among the first Israeli units to enter Gaza in October 2023. The battalion has since been involved in some of the Israeli army's most lethal operations, including the destruction of several hospitals.

The documentary revealed that the Israeli government initially claimed that none of its forces were present when the Rajab family was killed. Later, Israeli authorities asserted that the 335 bullet holes found in the family's car resulted from an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and armed Palestinian fighters. However, investigations by Forensic Architecture, based at Goldsmiths, University of London, identified only the presence of several Israeli Merkava tanks in the vicinity of the Rajab family's car and found no evidence of any exchange of fire.

Chain of Command Identified

The documentary and subsequent investigation identified the following military chain of command:

• Colonel Beni Aharon - Commander of the 401st Armoured Brigade (overall commander of tanks present during the killing)
• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Ella - Commander of the 52nd Armoured Battalion
• Major Sean Glass - Commander of the Vampire Empire Company (directly responsible for the attack)
• 22 identified tank crew members - Members of the Vampire Empire Company who participated in or facilitated the attack

One soldier, Itay Cukierkopf, a dual Israeli-Argentine national, has been publicly named and is currently being sued under Argentinian law for his alleged role in the family's murder.

ICC Complaint Filed

Following the documentary's broadcast, the Hind Rajab Foundation submitted a comprehensive 120-page Article 15 filing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This filing names all 24 Israeli soldiers and commanders responsible for the killing of Hind Rajab, six members of her family, and the two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics, Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun.

The submission includes comprehensive digital, satellite, and forensic evidence confirming that Merkava IV tanks of the Vampire Empire Company repeatedly fired on the black Kia Picanto in which Hind and her family were trapped, and later targeted the ambulance sent to rescue her. The attacks were carried out with full knowledge of the victims' civilian and protected status, following prior coordination between the Palestinian Red Crescent and Israeli authorities.

The Foundation's legal team concludes that these acts amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under Articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Rome Statute. The foundation is also pursuing national prosecutions under universal jurisdiction and dual nationality jurisdiction in multiple countries including Argentina, with further cases being prepared in Europe, Latin America, and North America.

"This is not only a legal act — it's a revolt against the global order of impunity," said Dyab Abou Jahjah, General Director of the Hind Rajab Foundation. "They believed Hind's murder would be without accountability; we are proving them wrong, step by step."

Crime Scene Tampering

The investigation also revealed that the Vampire Empire Company was responsible for tampering with the crime scene after the attack, further demonstrating the deliberate and organized nature of the operation.

The documentary represents a major breakthrough in the pursuit of justice for Hind Rajab and her family, providing concrete evidence and identification of those responsible for what UN experts have stated may amount to war crimes.

The story of Hind Rajab is a painful reminder of the innocent lives lost in the genocide. However, her legacy is not just one of tragedy but also one of resilience and the unwavering pursuit of justice. The mural we have painted is a tribute to her memory and a symbol of our solidarity with all victims of criminal acts of the you know who. We hope that by sharing her story, we can contribute to the global conversation about Palestinian rights to freedom, liberation and dignity, and the call for accountability of all war criminals, and the stop of the systematic targeting of childhood in Palestine.