International Courant
Jenin, occupied West Financial institution – A person sits cross-legged on a worn floral ground bench, a keffiyeh wrapped tightly round his face to guard his id.
He is a resistance fighter dwelling within the Jenin refugee camp — the location of a violent and lethal two-day invasion by Israeli forces earlier this month — and he is not taking any possibilities.
His stubby arms enclose a big computerized weapon, the glittering steel casing of which contrasts with the darkish inside of the residence. His hand is wrapped tightly across the rifle’s deal with together with his finger prolonged ahead.
However behind the imposing physique of the battle-hardened fighter lurks a person who as soon as dreamed of a traditional life, one he had solely glimpsed by TV.
The 29-year-old had labored for the native authorities earlier than becoming a member of the armed resistance in opposition to the Israeli occupation of his Palestinian homeland three years in the past.
“We knew nothing about life exterior the Jenin camp,” the fighter, who declined to be named for safety causes, says of his life earlier than becoming a member of the resistance. “We have by no means seen a pool or a sea in our lives.”
‘We won’t be deterred’
On July 2, Israel launched its incursion into the camp, in an try — it says — to root out “terrorists” who had taken management of the world, which was house to about 14,000 folks. The military bombarded the world with explosive drones and missiles fired from unmanned aerial automobiles as lots of of troopers raided the camp. The fighter was within the middle of the motion.
“We solely had mild weapons. They (Israeli forces) made an enormous deal out of the invasion. They wished to scare us off,” he says matter-of-factly.
He remembers brutal assaults. One reminiscence stays etched in his thoughts, a missile he says hit a bunch of 20-30 fighters and injured 17.
Twelve Palestinians, together with three kids, had been killed within the assault on the camp.
Nevertheless, he’s adamant that Israel’s plan to terrify the fighters and the broader neighborhood has not labored.
Talking in a fast, unflinching tone, the combatant largely dismissed questions unrelated to the armed resistance and confirmed little emotion.
“We won’t be deterred. Solely demise can cease us. They’ll kill us, by which case we will probably be martyrs.”
“We do not need folks to die for nothing.”
Beneath the demise and destruction, the warrior describes a neighborhood introduced nearer collectively and strengthened in its willpower to struggle again in opposition to the occupation.
As he tells it, the folks of Jenin opened their doorways to the hunters. “They gave us meals. Even individuals who left their properties wrote notices on the fridges that we might eat no matter we wished.”
And after the assault, the fighter says, the sensation of togetherness led to a wave of individuals wanting to enroll to struggle. “Many individuals need to be a part of the factions, however we do not need to broaden. We do not need folks to die for nothing,” he says.
“We all know that God will give us the victory”
Many combatants had been compelled to withdraw from the camp throughout the assault, a tactical retreat for which they are saying they’d lengthy ready.
“God has been on our aspect. We’re believers and we all know that God will give us victory,” the fighter says confidently.
For him, negotiations are a waste of time and he doesn’t imagine there will probably be a political resolution that may finish the occupation of Palestinian territory.
“We do not know the place we’re going. We’re simply ready for demise,” he says with certainty in his voice.
However even with that acknowledgment of the unknown, confidence nonetheless shines by — though Israel is way stronger militarily than the Palestinian fighters within the occupied West Financial institution.
If “God is in your aspect,” says the hunter, “nobody can beat you.”
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Life as a resistance fighter in Jenin: ‘Solely demise can cease us’ | Israel-Palestine battle Information
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