Today I was almost shot, because I wanted to bring food to people who are currently left without food.
But just before I tell you what happened today, I want to go back a moment, to a time when I could still breathe and didn't miss a heart beat.
Saturday October 7, 2023 around 06:30 am
I woke up in the morning to the sound of heavy rocket barrages. We were on a family vacation near Mitzpe Ramon and the rockets sounded very close. Unlikely, I opened a news flash website and unfortunately I was informed that we are at war. In a short time it already had a name - "Iron Swords" And dark news, photos and videos began to flow from everywhere.
My eldest son received an immediate Army Order and immediately left us all and went to his unit and has been there ever since. Another cousin was also called immediately. Most of us were paralyzed, we tried to continue trekking a bit even though we couldn't really not be constantly with a heavy feeling. Since then we try to maintain sanity and open only minimal news summaries. Above our heads, in our seemingly quiet town, planes are constantly taking off and landing 24/7.
Since that Saturday morning, I feel suffocated and unable to breathe. It's hard to fall asleep at night and everything make me jumps out of bed.
Initially I intended to continue my peace carrying as usual. I thought everything was over there, in Gaza and its surroundings, then I started getting news from my friends in the south of Mount Hebron, West bank that the situation there was bad; Rockets fell there too. One was 100 meters away from my friends' encampment, and fortunately for them there was no damage - only that there is no shelter there and nowhere to evacuate.
Friends from there told me that very quickly the settlers donned military uniforms and took full command in the area. They patrol in and around the settlements all the time, but also reach into the Palestinian settlements, setting up barriers and preventing the local population from passing. About a week ago one of them stopped at gunpoint a friend of mine who was going to buy food in the city of Yata. He took his car keys and drove away. Another friend had a surprise visit three days ago at night, threatening with a gun when the dogs bit his 116-year-old father (yes, that's the old man's age!). He was forced to leave his home and land the next day with his family and sheep. The settlers did not wait and immediately destroyed the house with all its contents. Another house was destroyed without a warrant, without police, civil administration or army only by a settler who has a tractor!
All the roads connecting the Palestinian villages have been cut off by trenches and huge rocks and people cannot enter and leave their villages. About a week ago friends from the south of Mount Hebron (Jews and Palestinians) warned me that it would be better to wait a little longer, so I didn't go out. During this week, the situation became more tense, when settlers invaded the center of the villages, threatening and even shooting people. One of my friends was shot in the stomach inside the village, right next to the mosque from a meter away! In the video you see the confrontation starting and how some soldiers stand and cover the settler. The friend who was shot, lost 7 liters of blood, arrived at the hospital unconscious and only by luck were they able to save him. Of course, his life will not be the same even when he recovers because his internal organs have been damaged. But he is alive, and as his family told me today when I visited them - praise the God.
When I turned to the army with the video to show them the extent of the horror and how the IDF soldiers did not prevent the scenario - but supported it - I was told that on the contrary, they tried to stop it. Apparently reality is only in the eye of the beholder.
When I turned to some settlers, the day before the shooting - to calm down the front, and I told them - isn't what we already have enough? I received this answer: " The whole country is a front, my love. take it in. game over It's either them or us. Were the horrors not enough for you?".
For me? It was enough for me. I became ill for a few days and I felt that all the horrors around me only increased and increased. But I also realized that I can't continue to stand by the side. We decided to go out today - Eliel, Assi and me, to distribute food to people and sheep (some of them completely ran out of food for the animals). We bought vegetables and fruits, dry food, sacks of barley, firewood, loaded everything on two vehicles and intended to start distributing to people. But when we got off the road, onto the dirt road, on the way to the first family, soldiers and a policeman stopped us with hysteric approach and a lot of tension, I felt that in a moment I would be shot. They claimed that the entire area is a closed military zone and we must evacuate immediately.
The conversation was in high and aggressive tones. "Understand me" The officer tells me "This road should be free, and you are blocking it - get out quickly". "Wait a minute, I want to talk to the chief" I said, "Do it while driving..." he replied. "And I understand you" I told him - "But understand me too - there are friends of mine here who live in abnormal fear of you and other army uniforms wearers and they can't bring home food or see a doctor.
At the end, because I insisted, he allowed me to bring boxes of food to one family there, quickly, just to place them there, and the main thing is that I clear the road for him. Our details were taken and we were told that it was not possible to move around anywhere. Probably only we don't have the option to move around, because settlers do move around there and do what they want, and there is no law and no justice - only God witnesses what happens.
Since we were "marked" For today, and imagining that we wouldn't be able to go to all the villages we intended to reach, we decided to leave everything we brought with our friend, in a village that was not yet completely closed. The hope was that everyone we wanted to visit today would be able to get there and collect the food and the wood. From that friend's house, he showed us all the check points of the settlers and the soldiers watching over them and told me painfully that even when they are inside the village they are being shot bt them. "with them" He said: "The gun is talking. They don't talk!"
So today I was almost shot, because I wanted to bring food to some people, listen with my heart and be with their pain.
I'm very sad today
Yours Eyal
And another little thing...
A few days ago in a conversation with an Israeli friend who cares, he told me: "don't get me wrong - I am connected here, I belong here, I love this place and these are my roots but " The "rent", which is needed to live here, is already too heavy on me!
Darkness does not remove darkness:
Only light can.
Hate does not remove enmity:
Only love can"
Martin Luther King
I sincerely hope that we will be able to get out of this situation without further bloodshed, and without sowing additional pain and suffering, but it is clear to me that the day after we will need a lot of help here, in presence and rehabilitation and in the budget to build a reasonable future for the children of Palestine and Israel . If we succeed, we will try to get more food to the villages. If you want to continue supporting our president of peace, we will be happy for any help. This link to a donation page with a tax invoice for residents of Israel only, if you are residents abroad or prefer receipt according to section 46 please create Contact me.
Eyal
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