'Voice of Hind Rajab' Director Calls Israel Probe a 'Smokescreen'
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- Kaouther Ben Hania, director of 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' rejected Israel's investigation into the killing of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab as a 'smokescreen' and called for justice from an independent authority
- On Wednesday, the Israeli military admitted its troops opened fire on the car carrying Rajab and six family members in January 2024 — more than two years after the killing — and announced a criminal investigation by its military police criminal investigation division
- Rajab died following a three-hour call with the Palestinian Red Crescent in which she pleaded for help; an ambulance sent to rescue her was also attacked by the Israeli military, killing two medics
- The IDF had repeatedly claimed its troops were not in the area at the time, but media investigations found evidence that nearby Israeli tanks were responsible
- Ben Hania noted that evidence — independent investigations, satellite imagery, ballistic analysis, and Rajab's own voice describing Israeli tanks circling her — had existed for over two years before the investigation was announced
- 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' used the recording of Rajab's call to the Red Cross and won the grand jury prize at Venice, along with BAFTA and Oscar nominations
Why it matters: The IDF's investigation opens after media outlets and independent journalists had already gathered satellite imagery, ballistic analysis, and the recording of Rajab's final call — meaning the military is launching a self-investigation into a killing it previously denied occurred. For Ben Hania and other critics, the timing underscores what they see as a public relations move rather than accountability, especially as the killing of a 5-year-old became one of the war's most recognizable civilian casualty incidents.
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