West Bank Palestinians face Israel's interceptor debris with no protection
For days, Hadeel al-Masalmeh has sat alone in her room, refusing to speak.
The 23-year-old Palestinian is still reeling from last week’s deadly strike, when missile shrapnel tore through the beauty salon she co-owned with her cousin and friend, Sahira al-Masalmeh, near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Sahira was killed instantly, along with three other women – two of them pregnant. Hadeel survived with injuries, as did seven others, including an infant.
Walid al-Masalmeh, Hadeel’s father, said she has been discharged from the hospital but will need further surgery to remove shrapnel lodged near a nerve in her leg.
The trauma has transformed his once cheerful daughter into “a different person”, he told Middle East Eye.
“She needs psychological support to recover from this. What happened to her isn’t easy. All the victims were from the same family, and Hadeel knew them well,” he said.
He added that she has withdrawn completely, spending her days in her room, lost in thought.
“What happened was horrific – a tragedy,” he said.
Hadeel’s silence reflects a wider fear spreading across the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians face the US-Israeli war on Iran with little protection and no access to shelters.
'We could be killed by shrapnel, and no one would care'
- Shadi Muqbel, Ramallah resident
Almost daily, missile fragments fall on Palestinian communities as Israel intercepts incoming Iranian missiles, primarily to protect nearby settlements and Israeli cities.
These interceptions, often above Palestinian towns, send debris raining down, causing casualties and damage.
According to Palestinian police spokesman Luay Irziqat, 198 incidents of falling rocket debris were recorded across the West Bank by 21 March, following the start of the US–Israeli war on Iran in late February. Five people have been killed and nine injured.
Four of the deaths occurred in Hebron due to shrapnel strikes. Another man died after falling from a height while watching the rockets. Authorities have also recorded at least 27 cases of damage to property.
‘We live without safety’
The strike on Hadeel’s salon in Beit Awa, west of Hebron, came on 19 March, the night before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Instead of celebrating, the town spent the next day mourning, offering condolences to the victims’ families and visiting the wounded in the hospital.
Above them, the danger persists. Missile debris continues to fall across the West Bank. In the latest incident, on Thursday morning, shrapnel damaged property in Ramallah but caused no injuries.
In Beit Awa, Hadeel is still struggling to process what happened, shaken by the constant sound of explosions. Even everyday noises – a door slamming, a passing lorry – now leave her startled.
“We live without any safety,” her father said, recalling how he narrowly escaped when shrapnel fell beside him days earlier.
“It feels like nowhere is safe. What happened in our town could happen anywhere, because there are no real public safety measures,” Walid added.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Civil Defence urged residents to limit their movement and avoid large gatherings. It called on the public to follow safety guidance strictly and to steer clear of unfamiliar objects or falling debris.
Since the start of the war, schools and universities have switched to remote learning in an effort to protect students.
'The Israelis] don't care what happens to Palestinians as a result of rocket fire'
– Jamal Juma, settlement expert
But many Palestinians say such measures fall short. They accuse the Palestinian Authority of failing to provide adequate protection or support.
Shadi Muqbel, a resident of Deir Sudan, north of Ramallah, said a missile fragment struck his home on 4 March, causing severe damage that his family narrowly survived.
The debris pierced the roof of the two-storey house and crashed into the ground floor, leaving a large hole and destroying furniture and windows.
“My father was sitting near the sofa that was completely burned, and my mother wasn’t far away,” he told MEE.
“They were hit by shrapnel and suffered from suffocation caused by gases released from the missile.”
Muqbel said no official authority has inspected the debris or arranged medical tests to determine the nature of the gases or the extent of the harm.
“There’s been no support or compensation,” he said.
“I’ve already spent 40,000 shekels [around $12,800] to repair some of the damage, and I’m not finished. I can’t afford more. Where are the authorities? Where is their concern for us? Next time, we could be killed by shrapnel, and no one would care.”
A racist system
Across the occupied West Bank, Palestinians hear sirens wailing in nearby settlements built on their land. They watch Israel’s Iron Dome launch interceptors towards incoming Iranian missiles – explosions often unfolding overhead.
But in their cities and towns, there are no sirens and Iron Dome interceptions.
Settlement expert Jamal Juma said the system reflects a wider reality in which Palestinian lives are disregarded by Israel.
"Israel has a clear strategic plan based on racism inherent in the Zionist project,” he told MEE.
“According to their statements, the only 'good' Palestinian is a dead one, and they don't care what happens to Palestinians as a result of rocket fire.”
An estimated 700,000 settlers live in about 200 settlements and outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, alongside more than three million Palestinians living in West Bank cities and towns.
He added that Israeli narratives surrounding the killing of four women in Beit Awa sought to attribute responsibility to Iran, despite the deaths being caused by falling interceptor debris.
“We live under occupation, and the occupying power has a duty to protect civilians,” he said. “Instead, there is no action, no guidance, no warnings. We are left to face our fate. This is happening not only in the West Bank, but also in Jerusalem and inside Israel.”
'We are living in a state of war and facing everything alone, without any protection'
- Dalia Nimri, Palestinian mother
Movement restrictions imposed by Israel further compound the danger for Palestinians. Up to 1,000 Israeli military checkpoints and iron gates across the West Bank slow or block access for ambulances and emergency crews, delaying responses when debris falls.
Dalia Nimri, a resident of Rawabi, north of Ramallah, said the absence of basic safety measures has left residents feeling exposed.
“We live in a place plagued by wars, yet we are completely unprepared for them,” Nimri told MEE.
“If I drive to Ramallah, I live in constant fear of being hit by shrapnel. We have no preparations, no security measures, not even any guidance from the authorities.”
In parents’ WhatsApp groups at her daughters’ school, Nimri said she has opposed a return to in-person classes, citing the risks to students during breaks, in playgrounds, and on their journeys home.
“Some students have to pass through Israeli checkpoints to get to school. Is there an emergency system in place to protect them and ensure their safe return home?” she asked.
“As long as there are no public safety measures in place, I am against the return of in-person classes.
“We are living in a state of war and facing everything alone, without any protection.”
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
Read Full Article on Middle East Eye →