HEBRON, West Bank / PNN /

Palestinian resident Afaf Fadi al-Haddar is facing severe humanitarian and living conditions after her home in Hebron was demolished, leaving her and her family without the security and stability of their own home.

The demolition has taken a heavy psychological and social toll on the family, forcing them to begin a new chapter of hardship amid a lack of basic necessities and persistent fears for the safety of family members, particularly the children.

Al-Haddar says she has still not come to terms with the shock of losing her home. She describes feeling as though the demolition were a nightmare from which she hopes to wake up and discover that none of it happened.

She says the impact was devastating and that she never imagined losing her home so suddenly, despite her attempts to prevent the demolition through legal channels.

Al-Haddar says the family had previously received demolition notices and was given 14 days to remove the house. She hired a lawyer at her own expense in the hope of protecting the property and stopping the demolition.

According to her account, the lawyer reassured her that the demolition would not be carried out at that time, offering some relief. But on Thursday, the family was taken by surprise when the house was demolished.

She says the family relied on the legal advice it had received and did not expect to face such a harsh reality so quickly. The shock, she adds, has been overwhelming, and she is still struggling to comprehend the scale of the loss.

A home reduced to rubble, and dreams left unfinished

For Al-Haddar, the house was far more than walls and a roof. It was a place of safety and stability, where she had built hopes for her children's future.

She had dreamed of furnishing bedrooms for her children, bringing happiness into their lives and celebrating family milestones and special occasions in a home filled with life and joyful memories.

The demolition shattered those hopes, turning familiar details of daily life into painful memories. Al-Haddar recalls that even the bread she had prepared was lost in the demolition, an illustration of how the destruction affected not only the family's home and possessions but also the smallest details of everyday life.

Image: Al-Haddar's circumstances after the demolition

Al-Haddar remembers the ordinary routines she once carried out in her home, from preparing food and baking bread to washing clothes and caring for her children. Today, she must manage the family's needs using rudimentary means, amid conditions that lack even the most basic comforts and stability.

Cooking over an open fire, washing clothes by hand

Al-Haddar describes the dramatic changes to her life since losing her home. She now relies on an open fire to prepare food and bake bread, and washes clothes by hand, tasks that were once easier to manage in the relative comfort of her house.

Life, she says, has changed completely, with daily hardship compounded by the loss of basic facilities that were previously available to the family.

Despite the difficulties, she is trying to hold on to hope and continue caring for her children. She insists that she will not abandon her land and is determined to remain there despite the harsh conditions.

For Al-Haddar, her connection to the land goes beyond having a place to live. It represents belonging, dignity and the ability to carry on, even after losing her home and facing the psychological and financial burdens that followed.

She says her determination comes from her commitment to her right to remain on her land and her belief that life must continue despite the challenges confronting her family.

With winter approaching and temperatures falling, Al-Haddar's concerns for her children have grown. The family is living in difficult conditions, with the children in need of shelter that can protect them from the cold and rain.

She is appealing to the relevant authorities and humanitarian organisations to provide a caravan or temporary housing unit for her family, giving her children a minimum level of protection and stability.

The tent in which the family is staying, she says, does not offer sufficient protection against the cold. They urgently need safer and more suitable accommodation.

She is also calling for electricity, which she describes as a basic necessity that would help the family cope with difficult living conditions and ease the daily burden following the loss of their home.

Al-Haddar stresses that adequate shelter is not a luxury but an urgent humanitarian need, particularly for children who require an environment that protects them from harsh weather and restores some sense of security after their ordeal.

The family's hardship extends beyond losing its home and struggling to secure basic necessities. Al-Haddar also describes continuing security fears, saying the family has been subjected to repeated night-time attacks by settlers.

According to her account, the incidents have intensified her anxiety and fear for the safety of her children and other family members.

She says the family needs protection and security, not merely temporary shelter, amid what she describes as continuing attacks and threats that leave them living in fear and uncertainty.

Al-Haddar says her priority is to be able to live safely with her family on their land, free from the attacks and fears that, she says, follow them day and night. Protecting her family has become one of her most urgent concerns.

She says she remains steadfast on her land, gives thanks to God in all circumstances and is trying to carry on with whatever resources she has, despite the profound changes to her daily life since the demolition.

Her story highlights the human cost faced by Palestinian families who lose their homes. The consequences extend beyond the destruction of a building to the loss of privacy and stability, the disruption of daily routines, shattered hopes for children and mounting psychological and financial pressure on families, particularly mothers.

Al-Haddar renewed her appeal to official bodies, humanitarian organisations and human rights groups to intervene urgently, provide suitable shelter, supply electricity and other basic necessities, and help protect her and her children from attacks.

Her central demand, she says, is simple: to live in dignity and safety on her own land.

This video was produced as part of the Media Support in Times of Crisis project, supported by the Palestinian Network and implemented in cooperation with Palestine Journalism Hub.