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A terrifying massacre happened, with memories that hardly
exist in our minds a massacre was forgotten by people who tried to describe
those horrified days.
In the early morning of 30.10.1948 which started as every
morning, the sun shining over the world turning that day to a deep red day in
the memory of everyone.
The people refused to leave in spite of the horrible news
about the Israeli army that was about to invade the village in any moment.
The army entered the village and found the people inside the
church holding white flags. The army took the people out of the church and
killed 14 young men and the rest were kicked out towards the north heading to
Lebanon, and in order to terrify the people and erg them to leave as quickly as
possible they shot another person turning the number of victims to 15 added to
tens of injured people who survived miraculously.
Eilaboun was like other Palestinian villages that were put
under the Jewish authority, those villages suffered from ethnic cleansing.
My grandmother told me this story with tearful eyes:-
" on the black day we all gathered inside the church when we
knew about the coming of the Israeli army with his blooded hands. By entering
the village and forcing all people to gather in neighborhood yard which was used
to celebrate weddings and it turned it into the yard of martyrs.
One of the soldiers named " Hayem Batata" chose 12 young men
randomly by pointing at them with one hand while the other hand was holding a
rifle, which was used to shoot those guys.
Meanwhile tens of men were arrested including my husband and
the other people old men, women children , were moved in front of the tanks
towards Mag'ar village.
At the entrance of the village two men tried to escape so
they were shot immediately.
People were hungry and thirsty passing the village of Mag'ar
reaching KufrEnan junction another man from the village was shot and many were
injured and 40 men were arrested. The Israeli army intended to kill 50 men but
one man named Ebrahim Hawa paid the army 100 Palestinian Liras as a ransom.
I walked holding my new born baby in one hand and a two year
old baby in the other hand and followed by my two daughters. I was desperate and
helpless for a minute I thought that I should leave the baby behind in order to
save the other children, but my mother held the baby while she was dragging her
injured mother at the same time , so she held the baby in her teeth by her
diaper.
Those were hard days, we looked for food in the cow dung and
drank dirty water which was put for pigs it drink in the village of Elberthiaa.
I saw many women leaving their newborn babies behind under
the trees in order to save the other children in the family. The ones who
survived reached the refugee camp ELmeyee Wemyee in Lebanon with no shelter or
food they started a new life away form home. We stayed without a shelter for 70
days suffering and starving. So some families decided to give in their kids to
Monasteries and orphanages.
Finally we were allowed to return home an we did, but our
properties were gone, clothing, food, cattle, nothing was left.
But we over came those hard days with our strong will and determination.
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