The Dock-Drama ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ was a premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with an unprecedented 23-minute standing ovation. Directed by Franco-Tunisian Cowathar Ben Hania, the film killed Gaza’s six-year-old girl by Israeli forces in the last hours of Hind Rajab. The festival audience was taken to tears with people waving “free, free Palestine” and Palestinian flags.

The film has a real audio facility from Palestinian Red Crescent Society, capturing the heart touching voice of young Rajab during the attack on January 29, 2024. In a dangerous moment, he can be heard arguing, “Please come to me, please come. I am scared,” because she was waiting for rescue stuck in a car under the fire.

Rajab was eventually located in a vehicle along with his dead family members after a long delay in rescue operations. Investigation revealed that the Israeli army initially denied the ambulance access to the site for three hours. The bodies of two ambulance workers, who were trying to save him, were also found later.

Speaking before the screening of the film, Ben Hania expressed the importance of cinema in making the stories of persons caught in the struggle. He criticized media depiction of such incidents as “collateral damage”. “And I think it is very inhuman, and that’s why cinema, art and all kinds of expressions are very important to give those people voice and face,” he said.

Further investigation in the incident has highlighted important conclusions. al JazeeraIn collaboration with forensic architecture and earshot, an inquiry was conducted that an Israeli tank was revealed, when the attack took place, was deployed only 13 to 23 meters away from Rajab’s car. It was confirmed by a United Nations report in July 2024, which found that the shots were “fired from a very close range using a type of weapon, which could only be held responsible for the Israeli armies.”

The Israeli army has said that its military was not in the firing range during the incident. However, in a recent investigation, the army indicated that the case is still subject to review and avoiding further comments.

Rajab’s mother, Visem Hamada, hoped that the film would contribute to ending the struggle. “The whole world has left us to die, stay hungry, to be in fear and to be forcibly displaced without doing anything,” he told AFP,

As the Venice Film Festival continues, the ‘Hind Rajab’s Awaaz’ remains a focal point for the role of art in the discussion and activism on human rights. The reception of the film not only respects the memory of Hind Rajab, but also for widespread dialogue on struggle and humanity.