Our Wish is to Sleep Peacefully
by Hamdan Huraini
Unfortunately, our wish has become to sleep peacefully, even for a moment.
The violence of settlers against my village, the village of Susiya, is not new. For decades, the army and settlers have been attacking our homes, chasing our shepherds, and destroying our lands. But after October 7th, the violence against the people of the village increased significantly, as settlers wearing military uniforms have started terrorizing our village. They attack day and night.
On October 16th, the settlers, accompanied by the army, closed all the main entrances to the village with large boulders and dirt piles, blocking every entrance and exit to our village. They also destroyed more than 70 olive trees — some of the trees were over 25 years old. The settlers and the Israeli army also demolished three water wells.
Because of the closure of roads, residents of the village are barely able to reach the city of Yatta, the city where all of our emergency services are located. This is so dangerous for us, and could easily lead to the loss of the life for an elderly resident who suffers from chronic diseases. There are more than ten elders suffering from these chronic diseases here — failure of one of these cases to reach the hospital in a timely manner could lead to the loss of his life. This means that the continued closure and siege of the village of Susiya could lead to death of our residents.
The targeting of trees and agricultural crops is also a threat to the livelihood of the Palestinians of Susiya. Such action is only for the sake of targeting life in Susiya. Without our lands, we do not have means to survive. The wells that the army destroyed used to provide water to the residents of my village. Now we are in a serious crisis with a lack of water. We are afraid that this lack of water, along with so many other problems, will lead to the spread of diseases and illness, for both the people and our livestock. All of this will be more difficult and more dangerous for my village as time passes.
I work in the field of human rights, and have for a very long time. But today I no longer believe that there are international laws that protect my people. What I see on the ground and what my village is witnessing now is completely different from what is written about in the media. When settlers come to our homes, they wear Israeli army uniforms and threatens us. “If you do not leave your home, I will come back and shoot you,” they said to me. How can I trust what is called “international law to protect human rights?” It makes no sense. My village is besieged, my family is terrified. I do not even feel safe inside my house. My land cannot be cultivated — the army has made it into “a closed military zone.” Yes, I cannot enter my land, which is 100 meters away from my house.
I hope that these terrifying days will end quickly. Inshallah we will soon feel some sense of security, and we will be able to sleep at night, even if only for a few hours, quietly and without fear. I just wish that I could go to my neighbor’s house and sit and talk while drinking tea without fear for the next moment. I hope that even one day would pass without this fear.