“The children were constantly afraid,” says a refugee who fled the Jenin camp

As the Israeli army increases raids on Palestinian camps in the West Bank, many mothers decide to flee with their children. Two residents of Jenin tell the story of this new exodus.

In Fairouz Ismail’s apartment, on the top floor of this building in Jenin camp, in the northern West Bank, on Saturday February 24, all the windows were blown out. Debris of glass everywhere. It was because of an explosion the day before, during the last raid by the Israeli army. But for four months, this Palestinian woman has decided to no longer sleep in the camp at night: “I left the refugee camp because I could no longer stand what was happening there. Every day, invasions, shootings, strikes… Did you see the broken ceiling, did you see my windows? We can’t even live in this place anymore, that’s it, I’m leaving.”

Houses transformed into “detention centers”

Fairouz now rents a very small room and bathroom in Burqin, the neighboring village, for her and her son. She doesn’t have the money for something bigger even though she used to live in 140 m2. Each time, her heart sinks when she returns where she lived for more than 15 years: “When I see my house like that, I get depressed. Obviously, we knew that the army was using the house as a base, but now they come more and more. They even transformed the place into a detention center at one point. moment: they took the young people and locked them here.”

Fairouz Ismail is not the only one to leave the camp. Amira, one of his neighbors, left with her husband and their four children. “I couldn’t take it anymore, the children were constantly afraid, the youngest no longer spoke, and my body was constantly tired. If we had to go to the hospital, in case anything happened or during a raid, we knew very well that it was not possible to get out.”

“There were also times when we had to buy diapers or breast milk, but we couldn’t go out for three days.”

Amira, refugee from the Jenin camp

at franceinfo

“My daughter, as soon as she hears a noise, she thinks it’s the army and she hears drones when she sleeps, continues Amira. So it was better for us to go out. I saw that other children could play elsewhere, I told my husband. And since then, the children have not wanted to come back.”

Sometimes families decide on a day-to-day basis. Some leave for long periods, others permanently. But each time with the same reason: because of the raids by the Israeli army which have become incessant.