Aid worker in the West Bank: 'The sounds of Israeli military raids keep us awake at night'
I usually wake up at 6am (3am GMT) - if I have managed to sleep at all.
The sounds of bullets and tear gas are a nightly ordeal in my neighbourhood in Bethlehem, where Israeli soldiers conduct regular raids - sometimes every night for weeks at a time. It is terrifying.
I constantly worry about my family, friends, and neighbours. It is not uncommon to find out that a neighbour or someone I know has been arbitrarily detained following a raid.
In Palestine, our communities are close-knit, so every incident is deeply personal.
Raids were common even before 7 October, but they have become far more frequent and violent since then.
The recent ceasefire in Gaza has triggered a new surge in Israeli military raids across the West Bank, with dozens killed so far and many more arrested.
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The atmosphere is suffocating and extremely tense. We fear this is the beginning of yet another brutal chapter in the long story of our oppression.
Restricted movement
It is 7.30am and getting to work each morning has become a nightmare.
Israeli military checkpoints, road closures and newly erected gates cut off movement between West Bank cities.
Palestinians are trapped in their own cities, living in fragmented enclaves that increasingly feel like open-air prisons
Even before 7 October, our ability to travel was severely restricted, with 188 military checkpoints in place, according to the UN. Now, the Palestinian Authority reports that the figure has skyrocketed to 900, with dozens added in just the last two weeks.
Movement has become nearly impossible. Every city is now encircled by checkpoints and gates put up at the entrances of villages, causing massive traffic jams and severing people from their workplaces, schools and hospitals.
Yesterday, it took my colleague over five hours to complete what should have been a one-hour drive from his home to the office. It is frustrating and a huge waste of time, but it is just one of the many ways our freedoms and rights are systematically curtailed.
Palestinians are trapped in their own cities, living in fragmented enclaves that increasingly feel like open-air prisons.
Continued suffering
My working day begins at 8am, often with check-ins with our colleagues and partners in Gaza who have been working tirelessly to support women and girls.
For more than 15 months, they have worked around the clock to provide humanitarian relief while facing immense danger and being displaced, traumatised and grieving themselves.
For those of us in the West Bank, the ceasefire in Gaza brought a brief moment of relief. No matter the hardships we face here, they pale in comparison to the suffering our brothers and sisters in Gaza endure.
But the war's end does not mean an end to their suffering.
Palestinians there continue to face the immense task of rebuilding their homes and neighbourhoods while trying to process the unimaginable loss and trauma they have endured.
Like most NGOs, much of ActionAid's work in Gaza is coordinated from the West Bank, as severe communication restrictions and logistical challenges have made operations there difficult.
A key part of my role involves speaking to journalists worldwide, ensuring that Palestinian voices are heard and reporting on the situation in both the West Bank and Gaza.
Ongoing precarity
Around 11am, I meet with colleagues and partners in the West Bank. What used to be regular in-person gatherings now mostly take place online - if they happen at all.
Sadly, the situation is so unpredictable that plans are often cancelled due to sudden road closures, newly erected checkpoints or attacks by settlers and the military.
Travelling even short distances has become impossible. I used to visit Hebron - just a 30-minute drive - several times a week. But now, I rarely go. It has become almost impossible for us to make plans.
Some of our partner organisations work in refugee camps in the north of the West Bank, including Jenin - where a brutal Israeli military raid has left at least 25 people dead, dozens more injured and forced thousands to flee since 21 January.
Israeli forces have bulldozed roads and homes, using the same tactics deployed in Gaza - with apparent impunity and in flagrant disregard of their duty, as the occupying power, to protect civilians.
During these raids, reaching staff at our partner organisations is often impossible. Internet and electricity are cut off for days at a time, severing communication and deepening our distress.
Economic collapse
At 1pm, lunchtime in Bethlehem looks very different these days.
Restaurants, cafes and markets are eerily quiet. Many businesses have closed, either due to fear of raids and settler attacks or because people can no longer afford to spend money. Fewer people are on the streets, and schools and universities now hold many classes online.
Since 7 October, unemployment and poverty in the West Bank have soared. Overnight, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians lost permits to work in Israel.
The unemployment rate has nearly tripled, from 12.9 to 32 percent, according to Unctad. The World Bank estimates that short-term poverty rates have doubled from 12 to 28 percent.
Public sector workers have seen their salaries slashed as the Israeli government withholds Palestinian tax revenues. Meanwhile, inflation has soared to nearly 88 percent.
It is not uncommon to see fruits and vegetables rot in market stalls, as families cannot afford to buy them. Food prices have risen sharply due to tightened border controls since October 2023.
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As a humanitarian organisation, we are seeing increasing requests for assistance from families struggling to survive. But with our limited capacity, we are unable to reach everyone in need, which leaves us feeling powerless.
Many families are under immense strain, and as poverty deepens, domestic violence and gender-based violence have sadly risen.
Nowhere feels safe
I am meant to finish work at 4pm, but I often stay until 6 or 7pm.
Since 7 October, our workloads have surged, putting us under tremendous stress. Since the ceasefire, we have ramped up the humanitarian response on the ground in Gaza while also continuing to support communities across the West Bank, where poverty and violence escalate daily.
Women-led organisations working with ActionAid have already been distributing essential food and supplies. Al-Awda, our partner organisation, continues to treat patients and provide maternity care at its hospital in northern Gaza.
But material aid alone is not enough. Over the coming days and weeks, our partners will also be working tirelessly to deliver vital psychosocial support.
It is after 6pm and social life in the West Bank has all but disappeared. Feasts, Eids, graduation ceremonies and even weddings take place with hardly any celebration.
In the evenings, I stay home. I used to travel regularly to Jericho and Ramallah, where my family has a home, to see friends or visit the markets. But I have not been there since 7 October. I am terrified of staying alone in the house there. What if Israeli soldiers raid it?
I used to travel regularly to Jericho and Ramallah, where my family has a home. But I have not been there since 7 October. I am terrified of staying alone there. What if Israeli soldiers raid it?
But that is not the only threat we face: Israeli settler violence has also increased significantly since 2023.
The UN recorded 1,432 settler attacks in 2024, and the numbers continue to rise. Cars and properties are frequently attacked and torched, and Palestinians are beaten and sometimes killed.
Meanwhile, dozens of new illegal settlements have been approved by the Israeli government.
One is being built right now in Beit Jala, very close to my home - despite the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to cease all settlement activity and end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory without delay.
All states that claim to uphold international law should be demanding action. The Israeli government's decades-long occupation dehumanises Palestinians like me and exerts military control over every aspect of our lives.
Palestinians deserve the right to self-determination, to live free from violence and discrimination - just as all people do.
The time for justice is now.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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