Rabat – Members of Congress in Washington introduced the Justice for Hind Rajab Act on March 12. The show of Palestinian solidarity was led by Democratic Senators Peter Welch and Chris Van Hollen, alongside Democratic Representatives Sara Jacobs, Joaquin Castro, and Pramila Jayapal.
The members are among those who have been outspoken against US government complicity in Israel’s genocide, which has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians since early 2025.
The legislation requires the US government to investigate and hold accountable the Israeli forces and external actors responsible for killing five-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab, her family, and the paramedics sent to rescue her.
Hind’s tragic story inspired the Oscar-nominated docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is nominated for Best International Feature Film at this weekend’s 98th Academy Awards.
The act calls for a presentation of congressional findings on the attack, a State Department report on all reported US and Israeli efforts to investigate the incident, and compliance with US prohibitions on assistance to foreign security units credibly implicated in gross human rights violations.
It would also require certifications from the Secretary of State and the US Attorney General regarding compliance with US war crimes laws.
In a statement, Rep. Jacobs said five-year-old Hind “should still be alive today” and described being horrified by reports of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) firing over 300 bullets at the ambulance carrying Hind and her family as they were seeking medical help and safety. tried
“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,” Rep. Jayapal also stated. “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.”
Senator Welch was direct, stating, “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.”
On January 29, 2024, the IOF targeted Hind Rajab and six members of her extended family while they were fleeing to safety. Forces illicitly fired on the vehicle 355 times repeatedly, despite pleas that there was no confirmed threat.
Two paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society who attempted to reach Hind via an IOF-approved route were also killed by tank fire.
The IOF previously claimed that no Israeli forces were near the vehicle at the time.
However, an independent investigation by the London-based research group Forensic Architecture, relying on satellite imagery and visual evidence, refuted this, confirming that several Israeli tanks were present at the scene and that one likely fired on the car and on the ambulance sent to rescue Hind.
