May the voice of beloved Hind Rajab deprive them of their slumber
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‘My child, where are you now?’
‘I am inside the car... everyone else is sleeping.’
‘Let them sleep, darling; do not make a sound.’
‘No... they are all dead. There is blood everywhere. Please do not leave me alone. A tank is coming towards me... please, come and save me....’
This is a transcript of the final words of one of the more than 20,000 children killed by the Israeli military in Gaza since 7 October 2023. The name Hind Rajab, and the image of that six-year-old girl wearing the tasselled cap from her final day of kindergarten, remain indelibly etched in the hearts of many. On 29 January 2024, in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza, the Israeli Defence Forces killed Hind Rajab, who had been left isolated for nearly three hours, alongside the bodies of her relatives in a car besieged by military tanks. They also killed Yousef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, humanitarian volunteers who had ventured out in an attempt to rescue her.
Due to the obstacles created by the Zionist military, it was only after several days that even their lifeless remains could be recovered. It was upon hearing the harrowing audio recording of the conversation between Hind Rajab, in the final moments of her young life, and Rana Faqih and Omar al-Qam at the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Ramallah emergency call centre that Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania decided to make this voice heard across the globe and to urge the world to break its silence against such brutalities and injustices. She fulfilled this mission through the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which was crafted using the original audio recordings and a cinematic reconstruction of the events at the emergency call centre. First screened at the Venice International Film Festival, the film was honoured with the Grand Jury Prize. However, it earned an even greater tribute there: an audience composed of film-lovers and renowned filmmakers, in whose hearts Hind’s voice was indelibly seared, gave a standing ovation lasting 23 minutes and 50 seconds, a demonstration of respect and solidarity. Having received widespread acclaim at numerous venues, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was also nominated for an Oscar Academy Award.
In the first week of March, preceding the announcement of the Academy Awards, concerted efforts were made to bring the film to Indian screens; however, these endeavours proved futile. The Central Board of Film Certification refused to grant the requisite screening permit. The film had previously been denied entry at various other film festivals across the country. The Kolkata International Film Festival however proceeded to screen the film to a packed house without awaiting governmental nod. The rationale provided by the authorities for this prohibition warrants close scrutiny: a member of the Censor Board unofficially informed the distributors that permitting the exhibition of such an emotionally charged film could jeopardise Indo-Israeli relations. one is forced to conclude that the Board’s “solicitude” is reserved exclusively for the sanctity of diplomatic ties. It must not be forgotten that this same Censor Board showed neither hesitation nor remorse when approving films like The Kerala Story, with narratives woven from blatant falsehoods in the studios of animosity, specifically designed to demonise the Muslim community and disparage the state of Kerala. Several such hate-fuelled productions are currently being readied for release, timed to coincide with the upcoming electoral seasons in various states.
In contemporary India, where the freedom of expression and opinion are ruthlessly but selectively stifled, and where purveyors of hate speech and communal propaganda are granted both sanction and acclaim, it would be a matter of profound astonishment if such a film were permitted exhibition. Yet, regardless of whether the Censor Board deigns to grant its authorisation or not, the voice of Hind Rajab shall reverberate here for all time. It shall persist as a relentless disturbance to those centres of power that slaughter children, denying them peace even within their classrooms or the sanctuary of the womb, and to those who stand complicit in such acts.
O beloved child, Hind Rajab, may thy voice remain unextinguished; may thy memory endure, impervious to the ravages of oblivion!
