Hind Rajab, born on May 3, 2018, in Gaza, was 5 years old on January 29, 2024. That morning, Hind’s uncle, with whom she lived in Tel Al-Hawa in the southwest of Gaza City, decided to flee with his family from the increasingly intense Israeli bombardments on their already devastated neighborhood.

Hind’s uncle and aunt, along with four of her cousins, crowded into a black Kia, taking her with them. Their intention was to escape southward toward the Netzarim corridor, the passage opened by the Israeli army south of Gaza City. But a pile of rubble blocked the road, forcing Hind’s uncle to drive north instead. Unbeknownst to him, the Israeli army had just issued an evacuation order instructing residents of Tel Al-Hawa to flee to the south.

Such “orders” allowed the occupying force to absolve itself of responsibility for the deaths of civilians who did not comply. Israeli authorities even portrayed these ultimatums as an unprecedented “humanitarian” gesture, even though the so-called evacuation “blocks” had no basis in reality, especially when the area was already strewn with debris.

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