Israel’s war on Palestinians has a long history, as Yihya Sirhan’s account of what has happened to his own family over the years underlines.

It has become very clear since 1947, and more apparent in in recent months, that the Palestinian nation has been subjected to depopulation, expelled, imprisoned, killed or assassinated. My family who now live in various towns in the West Bank since the 1948 Nakba and the displacement of 1967 are no exception.

 The destruction of my family at the hands of the Zionists started in 1948 with the killing of my grandad. He was shot in the leg while fleeing from his rightful land, in fear of the Zionist gangsters who did not show remorse, mercy or humanity to any of the Palestinians. Limping away, my grandad stepped on a land mine. He lost both his legs and died from his wounds a few days later in hospital.

The struggle for survival continued with the next generation. Two of my uncles were accused of plotting various activities against the Zionists in early 1967. They each lost a child. The older uncle’s home was destroyed and the entire family were deported to Jordan with no right of return. My second uncle survived a three-year jail sentence.

The family’s struggle continued over the years with various cousins deported, imprisoned or executed for alleged crimes against the Zionist regime. In the middle of a cold November night, my youngest uncle opened his front door after hearing a knock. That was the last time he was seen. Until this day we have no news of where about his body is. All we have been told is that he died during interrogation, with no other information or explanation provided.

A year later, in 1995, we witnessed the indirect car accident that killed my brother at 36 years old with his two-year-old son. It was part of a plot that had been planned for some years, revenge for refusing to medically treat an injured individual who was suspected of being an informer.

Generation after generation, my family continue to hold our heads high, despite these atrocities. We continue to struggle to survive and gain an education. In late July 2024, I received the horrific news that shocked the entire towns of Nablus, Jenin and Tubas and the surrounding areas. My nephew Abdel Nasser, a 23-year-old Customs Officer, was assassinated in the early hours of the morning while performing his duties in Tubas where he worked. It was an entirely unprovoked incident. Abel Nasser had no connections with any groups. He left his education to support his dad and save enough money to get married and start his own family.

Around three weeks after Abdel Nasser’s assassination, a group of fifty or more heavily armed Zionist soldiers surrounded and entered our house near Nablus. They searched every inch of every corner, battering and beating all who were present including a niece who given birth days before. My 22 year-old nephew was arrested, blindfolded and taken away. Almost a month later, we have no news of where Fadi is and indeed if he still alive.

Yihya Sirhan is a Palestinian living in north London.

Image: Damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Source; Correspondence with Wiki Palestine (Q117834684). Author: Wafa (Q2915969) in contract with a local company (APAimages), licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.