Not to Forget Documents the Suffering During the Incursion in Collaboration with MAP

Following the invasion, the residents of Jenin faced a ten-day siege. The Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) organization spoke with two residents from Jenin refugee camp who work with the Not To Forget Association about their experiences and the aftermath of the attack, as we prepare to launch a partnership with MAP to provide medical support in the West Bank. The organization also spoke with Suad, another camp resident, who described how she and her family were assaulted by the Israeli army following the camp invasion in July 2023. We will soon attach the written interviews with our members to share their experiences and testimonies directly.

Farha Abul Heija
Chair, Not to Forget Association
The recent incursion into the city and refugee camp of Jenin was one of the hardest periods I have ever experienced in my life. During those 10 harsh days, we lived under siege, with complete power and water outages. The women I work with in the association, who live in the camp, were constantly contacting me, asking for help to get them out or deliver food and medicine, but we couldn’t do anything. I felt utterly helpless, especially because I couldn’t even reach or see my daughter or my grandchildren, who live nearby.

Despite these dire circumstances, there was a glimmer of hope from the young men of the camp, who risked their lives to deliver water and bread to the families in need using quad bikes, since cars could not drive on the destroyed roads. In these tough times, the solidarity among neighbours was heartwarming; we shared what little food we had and cooked together for our families and neighbours.

At the beginning, we reached out to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to help us meet the residents’ needs. While they initially assisted us, Israeli forces hindered their movement, searching everything, even bags of bread, and throwing food away. Afterwards, the PRCS couldn’t help us anymore. Nonetheless, the volunteers, many of whom were trained by our association in first aid and mental health support, provided the vital help during this crisis.

My message to women in the UK is that we are all mothers, and every mother’s heart feels the pain of another. I ask you to imagine the suffering of Palestinian mothers who for so long have been bearing the unimaginable pain of losing their children to the bullets of the Israeli army with no accountability. To the British government, I say: it is unacceptable for you to continue offering political impunity to Israel. It’s time to take responsibility and do something tangible for justice.

Samah Zahalka

Programme Coordinator, Not to Forget Association

I live in the Jabriyat neighbourhood, which overlooks the Jenin refugee camp from above. When Israeli forces invaded, they attacked the city and camp in the middle of the night, leaving no time for families to evacuate their homes. Many families tried to flee as soon as the incursion began, responding to warnings broadcast over the mosque loudspeakers, which have become an effective early warning system in our city and camp.

The camp was completely sealed off, including the entrance to the public hospital. Israeli forces took control of all entry and exit routes and soldiers shot at the main power transformers, plunging the camp into complete darkness. Typically, Israeli forces disrupt communications during incursions, but this time they cut everything: landlines, mobile phones, the internet, and even 3G networks.

The destruction was immense. Israeli forces bulldozed the streets and obliterated the infrastructure, including the water networks and the main water pipeline. Their entry into people’s homes was nothing short of brutal – they smashed furniture, broke down walls, and ransacked everything in their path. In some homes, there were even traces of urine and faeces on the beds, furniture and on cutlery. Sadly, this kind of behaviour is not new; we’ve seen it happen in previous incursions. When they stormed our home, the first thing they did was confiscate our mobile phones. Then they locked us in a room for six hours with no way to communicate. Eventually, their commander ordered us to leave the house without allowing us to take our phones. We had no choice but to seek refuge at a neighbour’s house for three days until Israeli forces finally withdrew from our neighbourhood. When we returned, our home was nearly destroyed, and even the food in the fridge had been eaten.

It’s well known that Israeli soldiers loot homes during raids. As soon as I saw them approaching our house, I hid our money in my chest to keep it from being stolen. Later, we discovered they had stolen our phone chargers, solar batteries, souvenirs, and even my husband’s cigars.

Suad Abu Atiyyeh

A resident of Jenin refugee camp and a mother of four children

As the Israeli forces approached our home, my husband told me he would go and open the door before the soldiers blow it up. Suddenly, we heard an explosion at the door, and the soldiers along with their dogs stormed into our house. They locked my 16-year-old daughter and I in a room with a dog, leaving it to brutally attack us. The dog bit my daughter on her face and bit me on my head, causing severe bleeding. The dog kept attacking us. I cried out for help from the soldiers, but to no avail.

I reached a point where the dog jumped on me and was choking me with his heavy and strong body, I could barely breath or speak. In the end, my daughter managed to push the dog away from me while screaming, and told me to move away. We endured this suffering for hours before a soldier finally opened the door, and with one word, the dog stopped the attack and stood beside the soldier.

I begged the soldier to look at my daughter, whose face was covered in blood, he told me “Don’t worry, we have a medic.” Then the so called ‘medic’ came, and the only thing he did was hand me wet tissues and told me to put it on my daughter’s face and hold it tight.

My oldest son, who is 15, was hand-cuffed and put in a room with another dog. Soldiers interrogated him while the dog was attacking him brutally. They kept asking him where is his dad? Where is his dad’s friends? Where are the weapons? I could only hear him screaming and saying that he doesn’t know what they are talking about.

Later that night, they gathered us all into one room, made us sit in front of the windows and used us as human shields. After a while, they put us into another room, throwing a gas canister inside and locked us in, which almost suffocated us. At that moment I believed that this is where my life ends. I’ll never see my children again. I hugged my children and we lied on the floor to avoid the gas as much as possible. I literally couldn’t breath. Suddenly, one of the soldiers opened the door and let us out. If it took him a few more seconds, I would’ve been dead!

We experienced profound psychological trauma after the soldiers left my home. My children couldn’t sleep for weeks, and my youngest son suffered from recurring nightmares, waking up at night in a panic, believing the Israeli forces would attack us again. Personally, I cannot see dogs without experiencing a panic attack. Whenever I spot a dog, the fear from that horrific night resurfaces. I lose control and start screaming involuntarily. Whenever I see a group of people walking together, I view them as soldiers, and I become overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. This experience still haunts us every moment and will not easily fade away.

How is MAP supporting residents of Jenin?

Since Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza began more than one year ago, Israeli settler and military violence has intensified in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 702 Palestinians including with the increased use of airstrikes.

Working with the Not to Forget Association, MAP plans to provide vocational training for women in Jenin refugee camp to help them gain employment and improve their financial stability, in turn supporting their wellbeing. We also plan to provide counseling services, and preposition essential supplies for 1,100 children to ensure they are available during emergencies.