VOICE OF HIND RAJAB

 After writing a post about the Iranian war yesterday, I was feeling up to watching what I knew was going to be a difficult documentary. Some people weep through it. Some people object to it's manipulation of the death of young girl. And others, like me, say you must watch The Vocie of Hind Rajab.

It's the story, the real story, of the death of 5 year old Palestinian girl in January 2024 and the attempts by Red Crescent staff based in the West Bank (because there's nowhere safe for them to be in Gaza) to negotiate safe access for an ambulance, that's only 8 minutes away, to rescue her. You may have seen commentary on social media at the time.

The genius of the Tunisian film maker, Kaouther Ben Hania, is that she uses the recorded voice of the child and even some of the original recording in the Red Cresecent phone room. A child who is hiding in a car with 6 dead relatives. A child who is in kindegarden. A child who is afraid of the dark. A child whose voice finally goes silent. We know that this is the end of the story but I'd forgotten that the two brave ambulance drivers were murdered in their attempt to rescue her. And I say "murdered" advisely. The Red Crescent team finally got an approved route and the required green light from the Israel Army. The army knew they were comming to rescue a little a girl but that didn't save them.

One of the Red Crescent staff said what I'd been thinking. Why don't the soldieres just rescue her? It could be a propoganda victory for them. But no. What this film does is put voices and faces to the Gazan dead. 



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