About 50 special forces soldiers occupied several houses early this morning in Old City Jenin, allegedly searching for wanted men from various political parties.

One of the houses was inhabited only by an old woman, her daughter and grandchildren, all very young. She was woken up at two in the morning by 20 soldiers, who after blowing a massive hole in the door, forced their way in through her beautiful frontyard and garden - only to smash windows, vases and mirrors, shoot through sofas,wardrobe doors and clothes, set fire to mattresses, spill out all of the food supplies stored in the kitchen and thoroughly terrify the entire household.
At 8 this morning, the woman was still sobbing uncontrollably, gesturing her incomprehension, anger and sorrow at what had just happened as she clutched our hands and led us through the devastated house, stepping over piles of used ammunition rolling around on the floor. Her family were there to try and calm her, but the insecurity and unanswered questions that this unwarranted attack have awoken in her will surely haunt her and her children for a long time to come.

The neighbours were similarly awakened by the banging on the door by soldiers, numbering about 50(!)in all. After ordering the family to get out of the house, these then proceeded to ransack the house, shooting and smashing their way though walls and furniture. The young sons were understandably exhausted and severely traumatised this morning, the youngest quietly crying in his mother's arms throughout our visit.
They were forced to wait outside the house at gunpoint for three hours, between 2 and 5 in the morning, only to return to a house they no longer recognised as their home.

No one was arrested from either of these two families but, according to Israel sources, seven men were arrested in all during this morning's operation. The terror and anger reawakened in each individual's heart by this attack is difficult to fathom, as is the rationality underlying such orders being given and obeyed.

The rage and frustration was exacerbated by the enforcement of curfew this morning throughout all of Jenin, two Apaches circling above a paralysed city, the only sign of life being bands of shebab, a few journalists and the occasional woman on her way home to her children, cautiously picking her route so as to avoid the patrolling tanks, APCs and jeeps.
Curfew was then lifted at about 10.30, but one lonesome tank still sought to provoke resistance this afternoon by, seemingly aimlessly, charging up and down Haifa St and shooting into the air when shebab got too close. It also managed to smash its way into a shop.One stone allegedly hit one of the soldiers in the face when he carelessly stuck his head out of the hatch without his helmet but no serious injury seems to have been incurred.

The people of Jenin will most likely not sleep well tonight - wondering what will happen if they are caught unawares in the dark, unsure of what to expect tomorrow, still fuming, crying and getting their heads around what happened...as I guess many Israeli citizens are also doing at this moment. And there are many questions to answer and act upon...
Whose lives are being put on hold, whose lives being taken away? Who must reclaim the power over their own lives, who has a realistic chance of doing this given the current situation? Yanni, who is the terrorist?

Film of above events to follow shortly!