Nada al-Taher
The National / July 4, 2023
Duha, 14, said she never imagined she would leave her West Bank home this way.
Duha is a 14-year-old resident of the occupied Palestinian West Bank’s Jenin camp who, at 1am local time, fled her home along with at least 10 members of her family.
“They raided our home while we were still in it,” she told The National.
“We left with nothing but the clothes on our back.”
Duha and her family walked for two and a half hours before “good Samaritans” gave them a lift to her uncle’s home in Jenin city, she said. On the way there, they had to make several stops to make sure they were safe from Israeli gunfire.
Duha and the women in her family, all of whom wear the hijab, were forced to hurriedly leave their home wearing their prayer clothes, which are not normally worn outside the mosque or home.
Duha was accompanied by her 16-year-old cousin – who is blind – along with several other children.
“It was very hard to make sure they were all safe while we were on foot.”
Duha, who was born after the Second Intifada [2000-2005], or uprising, says even the adults in the family are shocked and afraid of what is happening in Jenin.
“They say they have never seen anything like this. Even in 2002.”
“We are used to Israeli attacks in Jenin camp, but nothing like this. I never thought I’d leave my home this way.”
“My mother is constantly crying.”
So far, 10 people have been killed in the operation by Israeli forces which began on Monday. More than 100 have been injured, including 20 critically.
Footage Duha provided to The National shows scores of people stranded in the streets of Jenin.
At least 3,000 people have fled their homes since Monday morning, Jenin’s deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Roub, told AFP.
Nada al-Taher is a senior foreign reporter at The National
