Hind Rajab, just five years old, sat trapped in the wreckage of her family’s car in Gaza City, her tiny voice crackling over the phone to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, pleading for rescue as bullets closed in around her.

Six of her relatives were already dead. Hind’s desperate calls stretched on for hours, a haunting testament to innocence caught in the machinery of war.

She was later killed along with rescuers trying to reach her – a profound tragedy that echoed far beyond Gaza’s borders.

This was not just one life lost; it was the voice of a child crying out amidst one of the most devastating conflicts of the 21st century – a war that began on Oct 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israeli military offensive that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including children.

Now, “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, a docudrama directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, brings Hind’s voice – literally and emotionally – to the screen.

The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last September, winning a major award and drawing a standing ovation that lasted 23 minutes. And viewers will see why, given its raw power and unflinching portrayal of a child’s final hours.

Running 89 minutes, the film reconstructs the real emergency call Hind made as she lay in a bullet-riddled car while the world watched in horror.

It focuses largely on the Red Crescent response centre in Ramallah – the frantic operators, the bureaucratic delays, and the agonising wait for clearance to send help – with actors portraying the rescue workers and the actual audio of Hind’s 70-minute phone call at its emotional core.

This might be distressing for many audiences, but that is the very point of “The Voice of Hind Rajab”. The experience is gutting and harrowing as the film doesn’t only recount tragedy but implants it in the viewer’s chest.

From the first moments, the film’s sparse visuals and persistent sound design make you neither spectator nor detached observer,  rather a participant in a collective failure to protect life.

The minimalist setting, grounded in the Red Crescent station, might seem simple but it’s a deliberate choice: the war itself, not dramatic spectacle, is the antagonist.

Kaouther, who is no stranger to docudramas, keeps the film’s pacing slow, but again – that’s the point. Minutes stretch into hours, mirroring the real time of Hind’s distress and the paralysis of a system unable to reach her.

There are no sweeping shots to distract – only voices, procedures, and the creeping dread that help may never arrive.

Why Kaouther’s film will resonate with audiences, especially Malaysians who have been vocal about the plight of the people of Gaza, is that it’s a deeply relevant work. And the film’s laser focus on one child’s voice asks a broader question: when does the world move beyond hearing, to acting?

Indeed, this is not a movie for passive consumption; it’s a challenge to viewers’ collective conscience. It’s a stark reminder that behind every casualty, there was a life, a laugh and, in Hind’s case, a voice that still needs to be heard.

Ultimately, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” refuses to let Hind, or any child caught in the crossfire, be reduced to a statistic. Instead, it gives her a presence that will linger long after the credits roll.

This urgent work is a tribute to a child and all the children who become casualties of human atrocity – a plea that no voice like Hind’s ever be silenced again.

As of press time, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ is screening in selected cinemas.