South Hebron Hills - Demolitions

It’s a day like any other. After the breakfast around the fire, Aissa runs away with the backpack on his shoulders. He is lively as usual. Like every morning, he has the gift of gab and his voice keeps other children company in their way to school.
The bell is ringing. Aissa joins with his classmates in the classroom. Holding a pen, ready to follow the lesson, he smiles at the teacher. His legs are struggling to stay still, dangling from a chair too high for his small stature.
Once the lessons ended, Aissa runs home, already looking forward his freedom during the afternoon.
But what awaits him that day is sadly different from usual.
His shining eyes leave space to a lost look, confused. His backpack falls down from his shoulder.
His house is gone. And in its place, a heap of rubble.

CURRENT SITUATION

SYRIA-LEBANON
In March, Lebanon has almost reached economic bankruptcy, in fact the country has not been able to pay $ 1.2 billion in bonds: it is practically certain that the economic hardship of the country, linked to the pandemic emergency, will significantly affect the ability to guarantee basic services to its citizens and more than a million of "hosted" refugees.
The first case of Covid-19 was reported in March, causing large-scale closure of schools, universities and public places, and was followed by recommendations of self-isolation for anyone who presents symptoms of the virus.
It is almost impossible to respect self-isolation measures, as well as adequate hygiene standards, for those who live in poor conditions in refugee camps or in crumbling, overcrowded buildings. Many Syrians are torn between the tough decision to continue working, challenging the order to "stay indoors" and risking arrest and contagion or expulsion.

Wadi Auja - Access to land

Despite the storm which it seems to be falling, Mariam undaunted takes her flock and leaves her four children to their bigger sister. She really needs a breather from the screams of her spitfire and barefoot children. She walks toward Wadi ‘Auja with her little girl of few months in her arms. She has a beautiful smile.
She arrives in the valley where the shepherds of the area are going with their flocks. Not a kilometre further there is Omar Farm, the illegal outpost from where all the problems are coming.
The sky becomes clearer. Other shepherds are arriving, assembling to drink a tea.
Then something come to spoils the bucolic atmosphere.
The soldiers are coming.  
The women exchange a look, almost to give each other strength, while the soldiers are coming down from the jeep. They don’t seem worried, indeed it’s seems that they want to remain.

During this quarantine, we have all been going through a difficult time of worries and concerns about our families and our future in the workplace and in the social sphere. Many people went into mourning for the loss of one of their loved ones, robbing many families of the chance to say a final goodbye. It is very painful to find out this powerlessness for ourselves when dignity, affections and economic security are being taken away from us. We felt close to each other, empathic and heroic because everyone had had the same fate. Or, as Pope Francis put it, ‘in the middle of the storm, we are all on the same boat’.
Yet we are very much aware that in our country boats are not all the same: some people are going through all this on a raft. This is why those who could tried to help people living with great difficulties during the quarantine. At the same time we are aware of what this additional huge burden has caused in areas where people were already experiencing precariousness, violence, war, injustice, and hunger. Yet no one has been hearing anything from them.

Az Zawiya village - Agricultural checkpoints

Abu Sameer leaves his house and proceeds through the streets of the city, wrapped in darkness. While he is walking, other villagers join him. It is 5 in the morning; the city is still silent. Only the workers are following this routine made by greetings, yawn, waiting, swearing, injustices and solidarity. A walk between the city and the woods to the gate, a small iron door who give them the possibility to get to the “other side”.
There are already people over there, waiting. Workers, generally. But there are also many farmers, which are prevented to reach their land freely due to the separation barrier. Abu Sameer is one of them.
The gate opens at 6 in the morning. But the opening hours depends on the soldiers, who are late sometimes few minutes, sometimes hours. In the meantime, the workers are waiting, even under the flowing rain in winter.