When volunteer Rana al-Faqeh of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Ramallah was assigned to stay in touch with six-year-old Hind, she did not know it was a conversation that would last more than three hours, hours when the girl was sandwiched between her dead relatives as the war raged.
TV4 Nyheternas Terese Cristiansson has met the alarm operator for an exclusive interview.
– I asked her if there was anyone around her who was awake. She answered no, everyone was dead. They were all covered in blood. Sometimes she told me they were dead, other times she said they were asleep, she says.
Fought back tears
In late January, Hind and her cousin’s family were trying to get from Gaza City to a safer place when the car began to be shelled. First, the Red Crescent made contact with the 15-year-old cousin Liyan, who was killed during the conversation. Then Hind took over the phone and Rana al-Faqeh became her lifeline, waiting for help.
Darkness had begun to fall. Hind asked what time it was and said she was scared. Hours passed without them managing to coordinate with the Israeli military to retrieve Hind, despite everyone working feverishly. Rana al-Faqeh struggled to sound strong in front of Hind, despite the pressure of tears.
– I said to her: do you know how to play hide and seek? She said yes. So I told her we would play it together. I said: when it gets dark or you see something that scares you, close your eyes and start counting and we’ll see which one of us will win against the other, she says.
That was the last conversation with Hind
Hind grew more and more impatient. In the end, Rana al-Faqeh asked for the help of psychologist Nisreen Qawas, who also spoke with the six-year-old, sometimes together with Hind’s mother, who was stuck elsewhere in Gaza.
– I wanted to take her out of that atmosphere, if only for a few seconds until someone saved her. We tried to imagine the sea, the sunset, the sound of birds, running in the sand, says Nisreen Qawas.
According to the Red Crescent, they finally got the green light and the ambulances started moving towards the car. Rana al-Faqeh and Nisreen Qawas told Hind to look for the ambulance’s light.
– I asked if she heard gunfire. She said yes. It was around 7pm. That was the last we heard from Hind, then nothing, says Nisreen Qawas.
Communication was lost
Despite the fact that all communication was broken with both the two in the ambulance and with Hind, many hoped that the girl would be found alive. But on February 10, when Rana al-Faqeh was back at work and took an emergency call from Gaza, she had no idea it would be Hind’s uncle.
He was then at the car and said that Hind and the ambulance drivers were dead.
– Usually when I go home I see my nieces and nephews. They hug me and welcome me home. At this moment when I got home I felt so stiff, like a piece of wood. I had no feelings and could not react to them. I haven’t tried to hug anyone. Hind’s voice remains: “Come save me! For God’s sake help me! I’m afraid of the dark”. Even now when I come across a video that has her voice, I honestly can’t listen to it,” says Rana al-Faqeh.