A poignant docudrama telling the story of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who died during the war in Gaza, has been nominated for an Oscar.
The haunting film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by French-Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, has been submitted in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
Blending drama with documentary, the film recounts the final hours of Hind’s life during the Israel-Gaza war in January 2024.
One afternoon, Hind was travelling through Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood with her aunt, uncle and cousins when their car came under fire. She was left trapped inside the bullet-riddled vehicle as the sole survivor, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives.
For several hours, Hind remained inside the car, desperately awaiting rescue.
The film uses the actual audio recordings of phone conversations between Hind and volunteers from the Palestinian Red Crescent, capturing her fear and pleas for help.
These recordings later spread widely on social media, drawing global attention to the impact of the war on civilians, particularly children.
In the docudrama, actors portray emergency call centre workers stationed about 52 miles from Gaza.
However, a note in the film makes clear that Hind’s voice is real and not performed by an actor. In one of the recordings, she can be heard saying in distress: “Please come get me. I’m scared.”
Hind did not survive. The two ambulance workers who attempted to reach her were also killed during the rescue mission.
According to Al Jazeera, since the war began, at least 71,551 Palestinians have been killed and 171,372 injured in Israeli attacks, citing Gaza’s health authorities.
A significant proportion of the casualties are children.
In December 2025, Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, introduced the film at Qatar’s inaugural Doha Film Festival, where she spoke about her daughter’s death and the meaning she has drawn from it.
“My message is more than just words. It is the pain of a mother who lost her daughter, then found in the outpouring of love for her a message from God,” she said. “I understood that my mission is to carry the voice of Gaza’s children to the world — children who live at the heart of war, in darkness, deprived of their most basic rights and whose dreams are torn apart before they bloom.”
According to the BBC, The Voice of Hind Rajab received a 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, a rare moment in the festival’s history.
Unlike many screenings where applause is mixed with cheers or jeers, audiences reportedly left the theatre in tears.
The film’s Oscar nomination has also sparked widespread reaction online.
One Facebook user, Meg Doran, described the film as “heart-breaking” and “not an easy watch,” calling it “a voice for all the children who have suffered.”
Another user, Augustus, wrote: “The Voice of Hind Rajab deserves an Oscar for telling this sad and truthful story.”
