Dear Friends, I felt that there is no use in telling anybody what is happening here tonight because I lost hope in anybody being able to do anything, and because there is nothing fair on this earth. I am so angry and so frustrated at everything and everybody! Since 4:30 pm, we have been under heavy shelling by Israeli tanks and helicopters. The shelling was targeting all houses and residential areas in Beit Jala, Aida refugee camp and Al-Khader village, near
Beit Jala. This shelling continued until about ten in the evening and we are not sure whether it will stop or not tonight. The factory across my house, about five meters away was hit, my cousin's car parked outside the house was totally damaged and the only thing we could do was sit in the inside room, all together.

Because the shelling started early, half of my family was out. We started calling them to locate them. My brother was working on a building somewhere near the checkpoint, so we could not reach him. My sister and her husband who is British were at work in Jerusalem and we were able to get to them to tell them not to come home.

My aunt and two little cousins went to check on her elderly paralyzed parent and were stuck there. Their house was shelled so she had to get help from the neighbours to get her parents out of the house with my two cousins, thank God, they were safe. They had to stay at the neighbours; since there was no way, they could reach the house without being killed.

My uncle and his two sons were in the middle of the road going to get a doctor for his in-law when he was caught in the middle and had to hide at a house. A missile went through the wall, but luckily, they were not injured then they ran home when things got a tiny bit quieter.

At last, my brother got safely home; he fought with Palestinian police who were trying to get people away from the shelling to get to his wife and two daughters. I called my cousin who lives in AIda camp and has four daughters the eldest is eight. She said their house had a huge bullet come through so they evacuated the house and smuggled
themselves to relatives in Bethlehem. Most of my friends from Inad also had to evacuate their homes and move to relatives.

I am telling you this was for me the last night I could take; I felt I could not live anymore with this fear and danger. We tried to hide my nieces behind a cupboard in an inside room, but they are babies and cannot sit still Until now,
we know that two Palestinians from ALkhader village were killed and many were injured. The ambulances could not get to people because they were shot at all the time. According to the local TV stations, a house in AL-Khader village was burnt, several houses in Beit Jala were damaged, but nobody still knows how much or how many have been injured. It is not clear why all this shelling, but local news and other news reported that two Israeli soldiers were Killed in the Bethlehem area this afternoon. Local news also reported that a monastery in Beit Jala has been heavily shelled. We still cannot know who and whose houses or churches have been hit, because local TV stations
and mosques have been asking people to sit in a safe place in their homes and to stay away from windows. I do not think anywhere is safe.

Guess what we could see our houses being shelled on the Israeli TV Station, is not that great. What they do not know is that we get the news before them, because we are under the shelling, so we feel it and in every bone of our bodies and every scream that children make. I have never had hatred in my heart, but today is the end, my hatred is towards all Arab governments, towards the USA Government, towards the UN and last but not least towards Israel.

Dear Friends, I do not know whether I can write and tell you anymore what we are going through, because I feel I am repeating my self and no one is listening, or may be no one with power is listening.???!!!

Maybe we will be alive, maybe not?!! I do not know. Marina