Abdu-Rahnan’s son sleeps outdoors on a property where the owners allow them to stay after being displaced. Abdu-Rahnan used to live in a neighboring village in Wadi al-Seeq, with 31 other families. However, after October 7, an Israeli activist working with the community alerted them to an online chat where settlers were calling for a massacre in Wadi al-Seeq, Abdu-Rahnan’s community. On October 10, the settlers arrived in the village and began attacking the entire community, beating them on the ground, putting boots on their faces, and firing into the air. Adbu-Rahnan states: “After the beating, they gathered us all in one place and told us we had one hour… any Palestinian who remained here would die.” The entire community left on October 12 and has been displaced throughout the surrounding areas. The Kabnaah family has already been displaced twice since fleeing Wadi al-Seeq, moving between different properties in Ramun. The owner of the land where they currently live has allowed them to stay temporarily, and they do not know what they will do once they have to leave.
On June 4, Mahmud Jibril Nawaja, his wife, and their eight children were forced to leave their homes when the Israeli Border Police carried out the demolition order. Mahmud worked in construction his entire life, saving 250,000 shekels ($67,000) to build his house. Two months after construction, in 2022, the Israeli Civil Administration declared the house unauthorized, and after a long legal battle, Mahmud lost his home. The Israeli Border Police stood guard as they destroyed Mahmud’s house and dreams in Jwaya, in the hills south of Hebron, West Bank.
Ibrahim lives with his wife, three children, and extended family: 15 people in total. Settlers have always tried to invade their land. On October 9, settlers arrived at his property armed. Ibrahim says that “it had never been like this before.” They fired live ammunition near his feet and then knocked him to the ground, where they pointed their assault rifles at him. He suffered serious injuries to his back, and the settlers did not allow an ambulance to come and treat him. His family finally carried him to the main road, where he could be taken to the hospital. The family was able to return to their home after this incident in southern Hebron, but they still live in constant fear of being displaced from their home.
On the road to Jamel Mahharza’s residence in the hills south of Hebron in the West Bank, a torn Israeli flag can be seen, placed there by settlers from a nearby outpost (illegal settlement). Jamel Mahharza lives on the property with his brother and his family, a total of 20 people. In March, the family received a demolition order, and on June 6, Jamel saw bulldozers arriving at his property while he was herding his goats. Upon arrival, the Israeli Border Police forced his family into a tent and began the demolition. In the process, they cut the cables from the solar panels, and his property currently has no electricity. The family has returned to the tents, near a cave they use for sleeping.
A commander of one of the militant groups in Jenin poses for a portrait in the camp. He preferred to keep his identity hidden for security reasons.
During a raid on the Jenin refugee camp, IDF soldiers used Alaa Pwaqneh’s house as a base for their military operations. His family was forced to stay in one room while the IDF went upstairs and dug a hole in the bathroom wall to use as a sniper post. Ironically, his father had been killed in the same way a year earlier. Alaa poses for a portrait in the place used by the sniper.
A vehicle drives through the narrow alleys of the Jenin refugee camp. The camp’s population has grown in recent years, and residents have begun building on top of their own homes for their families. Many of the houses in Jenin are self-built, creating a unique environment of small alleys and overlapping structures. Black tarps are placed on houses and walkways to deter drone strikes, as the IDF routinely attacks the camps to target militants operating in the area.
Mohammad Adel Al-Sarahin was killed at a checkpoint in Hebron when he was shot on November 19, 2023. He had no connection to any of the armed groups in the region. Mohammed was 21 years old, and his family is still investigating the motive for the killing. His community carries his body in a funeral procession from the mosque to the cemetery for burial.
A militant poses for a portrait with his weapon, whose magazine bears a sticker of a former resistance member who fell in Jenin. It is common for militants to mark their weapons with images of fallen resistance fighters.
A resident of Jenin mourns the loss of her son, who was killed in November 2023 in the Jenin refugee camp during a raid by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). There is a cemetery for martyrs in this territory, but it has recently filled up due to the intensification of clashes with the IDF. A new cemetery is being built on land near the camp.
The world watches silently as genocide is broadcast live, a shadow looms over the West Bank, where an unprecedented wave of violence is taking place. Since October 7, I have been living with vulnerable Palestinian families who are under attack from extremist settlers threatening their lives and homes. It is increasingly common to see families standing on rubble that was once their homes, the result of demolitions carried out by the Israeli Civil Administration. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue to increase their search for Palestinian militants, while more civilians are killed in the process. With record levels of violence, demolitions, and military operations, the West Bank is in crisis.
Palestinian displacement is currently at its highest level, exceeding 40,000 people in the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Last year alone, the occupied territory suffered the largest land confiscation in nearly 30 years. As the situation in Gaza worsens, and media coverage is vital but limited, the West Bank often receives little coverage and is ignored. Although international access for journalists is completely blocked in the Gaza Strip, there are still small opportunities to tell stories about the territory of Palestine, while it still exists.
Since November 2023, I have spent the last two years covering the new reality of the West Bank. From displaced families without shelter, funerals of innocent civilians in Hebron, and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raids on the Jenin refugee camp, I have witnessed the rapid escalation in the occupied territory. The following images portray the forgotten war in the West Bank and offer a brief glimpse of what is at stake for the Palestinian community—this is all or nothing.
