On the closing night of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the Silver Lion was awarded to Voice of Hind Rajab, a cinematic tribute to a six-year-old Palestinian girl whose final moments exposed the brutality of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The film, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, chronicles the last hours of Hind’s life, hours spent trapped in a car surrounded by the bodies of her family, pleading for rescue that never came.
Hind was killed in early 2024 in Tel al-Hawa, south of Gaza City, after Israeli forces shelled the vehicle she was fleeing in with her uncle, aunt, and cousins.
They were killed instantly. Hind survived the initial strike and remained trapped inside, alone and terrified.
She managed to call emergency responders, begging for help. But the ambulance dispatched to save her was also targeted and destroyed. Twelve days later, her body was found inside the car, lifeless, still waiting.
Ben Hania, accepting the award, said: “Cinema cannot bring Hind back or erase the horrors committed against her. But it can preserve her voice. Her story is not hers alone, it is the story of a people enduring genocide under an occupying power that acts with impunity.”
The documentary film, set entirely inside the dispatch center that received Hind’s call, uses real audio and Palestinian actors to reconstruct the moment when a child’s voice became a symbol of collective grief.
It received a standing ovation and has been nominated for international awards, including Tunisia’s submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars.
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Hind Rajab’s story is no longer confined to Gaza. It has become a global indictment of a war that targets children, silences rescue and erases families. Her voice, preserved through film, now speaks for thousands who never had the chance to call for help.
As bombs continue to fall, Hind’s plea remains: “Please come get me. I’m scared.” The world must decide whether to listen.
Gaza continues to bleed. On Saturday alone, at least 70 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the enclave. Airstrikes and drone fire targeted residential buildings, displacement camps, and crowds waiting for humanitarian aid. Among the dead were many children, women, and entire families.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 64,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, including more than 17,000 children. Thousands remain trapped under rubble or unreachable by emergency teams. Famine continues to spread, and aid remains blocked.
