Kaouther Ben Hania, director of the Oscar-nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, issued a statement this week criticizing an Israeli military investigation announced into the death of 5-year-old Hind Rajab. The girl was killed after Israeli forces fired on her family’s car in Gaza City. Ben Hania characterized the investigation as a public relations maneuver rather than a genuine accountability measure.
In her statement, Ben Hania pointed to the extensive evidence that had been available for over two years, including independent investigations, satellite imagery, and ballistic analysis. She emphasized that Rajab’s own recorded voice—captured calling for help as Israeli tanks surrounded her—constituted compelling evidence of the circumstances surrounding her death. Ben Hania questioned why military action was required only after the case garnered significant international attention.
Ben Hania further argued that the Israeli military’s decision to investigate only the cases that international public opinion had made impossible to ignore suggested a selective approach. She highlighted the absence of accountability for countless other victims whose deaths received limited international attention. She called for justice to be delivered by an independent authority rather than through military self-investigation.
According to Israeli military statements made this week, troops fired on the Rajab family’s car and an ambulance that was dispatched to assist them. All six occupants of the vehicle and two paramedics were killed. The military indicated it has launched an investigation into its troops’ conduct during the incident.
Rajab’s mother, Wesam Hamada, similarly questioned the delayed investigation and suggested it was intended to deflect attention from ongoing events in Gaza and rehabilitate the Israeli military’s international image. The documentary, which features recorded voices of Rajab and her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamada calling for help, has received multiple accolades including Oscar and BAFTA nominations and a Venice grand jury prize.
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