Hind Ragab would have turned 7 today if it were not for this man

Hind Ragab Would Have Turned Seven today.

Hind Ragab would have turned seven years old on 3 May.

Instead, she, her cousins, uncle, aunt, and the two Palestinian Red Crescent medics Yusuf Zeino and Ahmed Al Madhoun, who tried to save her, were killed by the Israeli army on a cold January day — in what amounted to a series of war crimes.

Hind’s weak and scared voice while she pleaded for the Palestinian Red Crescent operators to come and take her home shook many to the core, including me.

Earlier this year, in February, Hind’s voice was echoed through the UN Security Council thanks to Ambassador Riyad Mansour 

: Hind Rajab, her screams and appeals before she was killed by Israel, echoing through the Security Council: pic.twitter.com/PYcfJC2gkr

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) February 25, 2025

Hind lived only five years on this Earth, but her name has become a symbol of justice, a name that will haunt war criminals worldwide — thanks to the Hind Ragab Foundation.

Based in Brussels, the Hind Ragab Foundation (HRF) was founded and launched in September 2024 by a group of lawyers and human rights advocates as a branch of the 30 March Movement. It is chaired by Lebanese lawyer and activist Dyab Abou Jahjah.

The foundation’s mission is to actively pursue legal action against those responsible for atrocities and war crimes — including perpetrators, accomplices, and inciters of violence against Palestinians, especially in Gaza.

The HRF researches, documents, and gathers evidence of war crimes and human rights violations to launch offensive legal cases, primarily targeting Israeli army officers and soldiers — especially those with dual nationalities.

In October 2024, the HRF officially submitted a war crimes complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, along with supporting evidence. It also presented this evidence to eight countries through their embassies. Among those countries were Spain, Ireland, and South Africa. The foundation urged them to issue Interpol arrest warrants for 1,000 Israeli soldiers.

But the work doesn’t stop there. The HRF holds detailed profiles of many more dual-nationality Israeli soldiers and officers. It has made it clear that it intends to pursue legal action against them in the national courts of their respective countries.

As of 6 January 2025, the HRF had filed complaints in Ecuador, Belgium, the UAE, Brazil, Argentina, Sri Lanka, France, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Thailand, and the UK.

The Hind Ragab Foundation has become the worst nightmare of Israeli officers and soldiers. Many with dual nationality who served in the Israeli army over the past three years have made their social media accounts private — out of fear they will be identified and prosecuted.

The ghost of little Hind will not be forgotten. It will follow those who killed her.

To me, the Hind Ragab Foundation is the new generation of Nazi hunters.

And on 3 May 2025 — the day Hind would have turned seven — the Foundation delivered a powerful tribute to her, her family, and the medics who died trying to save her.

On that day, the Hind Ragab Foundation announced it had filed a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. After a year of tireless investigation, the foundation identified the military unit responsible for the killings — along with the commanding officer who led the operation.

According to the HRF, the Israeli commander responsible is Lieutenant Colonel Beni Aharon, then-commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade.

Lt. Colonel Beni Ahron

Under Lt. Col. Aharon’s command, an Israeli tank unit opened fire on the civilian vehicle carrying Hind’s family. It later destroyed the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance that came to rescue her.

The HRF also revealed that the entire battalion involved in the Tel al-Hawa operation on January 29, 2024, has been fully identified — including its field commanders and operational officers.

The Foundation has urged the ICC Office of the Prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant for Lt. Col. Beni Aharon and announced that it is preparing additional legal complaints targeting the battalion’s officers. These complaints will be filed in countries with universal jurisdiction.

According to the HRF, its team worked for a full year to gather evidence — expanding upon the investigations conducted by Forensic Architecture in June 2024 and Sky News in October 2024.

The investigation of Forensic Architecture revealed that a total of 335 bullets were fired at the car, and that the tank operators had a clear view of the two children inside the vehicle.

The investigation also determined that the IDF tank was positioned just 13 to 23 meters away from Hind's family car. In just six seconds, 64 shots were fired at Hind's 15-year-old cousin, Layan, while she was still on a call with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

That, to me, is the greatest gift to Hind. A real one. A lasting one.

By the way, did you know that Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent, Ismail Al-Ghoul — who was assassinated by the Israeli army in August 2024 — was the first journalist to reach the scene where little Hind Rajab’s body was found?

Also, did you know that Hind’s father, Rami Ragab, was killed in an Israeli attack in the summer of 2024? At the time, he was separated from Hind’s mother, Wissam, and her brother, Ayad, due to the war.

By the way, from now on, Hamilton Hall at Columbia University will always be Hind Ragab’s Hall — at least in my mind.

This is the official Instagram of Dr Wissam Ragab, Hind’s mother.