U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-TX-20), together with U.S. Representatives Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) today introduced legislation, the Justice for Hind Rajab Act, that would require the U.S. government to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the killing of the 5-year-old Palestinian girl whose story inspired the Oscar-nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The act, details of which were provided exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter by Welch and Jacobs, will require the Trump administration “to provide comprehensive answers on the death of Hind and broader patterns of civilian harm in Gaza to reassert the United States’ commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the prosecution of war crimes.” Welch and Jacobs are the lead sponsors of the bill.
Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza City on Jan. 29, 2024. Trapped in a car surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, who were killed by Israeli tank fire, she called the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and stayed on the line for more than an hour pleading for help. The ambulance sent to rescue her, following a route approved by the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF, was later destroyed, killing the two medics inside.
Hind’s story, and her recorded voice on the Red Crescent emergency call, were the basis for Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and is a nominee at this weekend’s 98th Academy Awards, in the best international feature category, representing Tunisia.
“Five-year-old Hind should still be alive today. She was a beautiful and brave little girl with her whole life ahead of her,” said Rep. Jacobs in a statement. “I was horrified by reports of the Israeli Defense Forces firing over 300 bullets at her and her family while they were simply trying to escape Gaza. No child should have to face that kind of terror, and no family should have to carry that kind of loss. That’s why I’m incredibly proud to partner with Senator Welch to deliver justice and accountability for Hind Rajab’s murder and all the civilian harm in Gaza. Hind’s story is a devastating reminder of the daily reality faced by Palestinians – and we won’t rest until they have safety, security, and peace.”
While the Israeli Defense Force claimed that there were no IDF troops near Rajab’s vehicle, Forensic Architecture, a London-based independent research group, carried out an investigation using satellite imagery and visual evidence and concluded that several Israeli tanks indeed were present and one likely had fired 335 rounds on the car that Rajab and her family had been in. The investigation also concluded that an Israeli tank had also likely attacked the ambulance that came for Rajab.
“Hind Rajab, her family, and the paramedics who tried to save them, should be alive today. This was not a ‘fog of war’ situation. There wasn’t any reason for the IDF to believe Hind and her family–who were trying to escape the fighting in Gaza–posed a threat,” said Senator Welch in a statement. “We need answers and accountability for the deaths of Hind, her family, and the paramedics who came to their rescue.”
Hind Rajab has become a symbol for the tens of thousands of children killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the Hamas-led attacks on Israel which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages, sparked Israeli military retaliation.
The Justice for Hind Rajab Act calls for a presentation of congressional findings on the attack as well as broader patterns of civilian harm in Gaza and a report from the state department on all U.S. and Israeli efforts to investigate and hold accountable individuals linked to the attacks. Furthermore, it demands the government comply with U.S. prohibitions on assistance to foreign security units, such as the IDF, which have been credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights.
The act would also require certifications by the secretary of state and the U.S. attorney general regarding government compliance with U.S. war crimes laws, including a commitment to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute individuals responsible for the attack on Hind, her family, and the paramedics who responded to the scene.
“Today we honor the life of Hind Rajab, one of the tens of thousands of Palestinian children indiscriminately killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza,”said Representative Jayapal. “This legislation importantly demands an investigation into her killing so we can finally begin to bring about accountability for the countless war crimes the U.S. has been complicit in inside Gaza.”
You can read the full text of the Justice for Hind Rajab Act here.