Memorial held at Shannon Airport for little girl Hind Rajab killed fleeing Gaza

The Palestinian girl was killed by the IDF in January 2024

One of the organisers of the gathering, Martin Roper, with a picture of Hind Rajab. Picture: Martin Roper

A memorial for a little girl who was killed while attempting to flee Gaza with her family was held at Shannon Airport.

The gathering took place at Shannon Airport roundabout on Sunday, which would have been Hind Rajab’s birthday.

On January 29, 2024, the five-year-old was inside a car alongside her family, trying to flee Gaza City when the IDF opened fire on the vehicle. 

The little girl survived the initial attack which killed her family members, and remained on the phone while begging for help to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

In a phone call to rescuers, some of Hind's last words were: "I’m so scared, please come."

After negotiations, which took hours, paramedics eventually arrived on the scene to rescue the little girl, and were shot upon arrival. Their remains were found along with the decomposed bodies of Hind and her six relatives.

The car she was in had been shot with 335 bullets.

A picture of Hind Rajab, brought to Shannon Airport for a gathering in her memory. Picture: Martin Roper

On Sunday, one of the organisers, Martin Roper, paid tribute to the “innocent child who was executed in a genocide”.

Mr Roper told the Irish Examiner: “I kept thinking of Hind and her mother. I thought her birthday was coming up in May, and maybe we could remember her."

Every weekend Mr Roper protests at the “Peace roundabout”, just outside Shannon Airport. For years, protesters have been calling on the government to stop letting the airport be used to refuel US military.

Over the last two decades, US soldiers have passed through the airport as it transformed into a significant transit point for the US military, particularly for their operations in the Middle East.

“I’m not a political person, I'm not affiliated with any political party, not any religion, but our government is helping a genocide, helping in foreign wars,” Mr Roper said.

 ”We're allegedly a neutral country. We're not because if we're allowing foreign soldiers transit through our land, we're not neutral,” he added.

In March, the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which reconstructs the little girl’s death was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. 

Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the documentary used recordings of her final calls to honour her voice, and highlight the efforts made by paramedics to rescue her.