THE stress shows on the face of Samiha Ismail, who since Oct 7 has been stuck in her home in an occupied West Bank village that lives in constant fear of attack by Israeli settlers.
The day after the Hamas raid into southern Israel, settlers entered Susya, a hilltop village in the south of the West Bank, vowing retribution and "humiliation", the 53-year-old Palestinian recalled.
More than nine months on, Ismail is among 450 inhabitants who spend most of the day indoors. Even their sheep are not allowed out of their sheds.
"Every time we take them to pasture, the settlers chase us."
Instead, the sheep of Israeli settlers now dot the nearby hills.
Susya's inhabitants say their livelihood is gone. One international aid group has sent counsellors to help Susya residents with their mental health.
"Before the war, we would have defended our land, but today nobody moves," Ismail said.
The settlers are armed and protected by the army. Ismail said her husband and son have been "beaten up" several times.
Since the start of the Gaza war, Israeli settlement of the occupied West Bank, considered illegal under international law, has hit new records. Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, some 490,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, alongside some three million Palestinians.
In June, Israel declared more than 12 sq km of the West Bank to be state land, the largest land appropriation since the 1993 Oslo Accords set out the foundations for land use in the territory. Land declared as Israeli state property can be used for more settlements.
In addition, 25 settlement outposts — not even authorised by Israel — have sprung up across the West Bank since the start of the year, according to Peace Now, a settlement watchdog.
Men in military fatigues have raided Susya at night, kicking down doors and looting property including donkeys and mules, locals said. Some even entered houses at night to intimidate residents.
"Most of us no longer sleep at night," Ismail said.
Shepherd Mohamed al-Nawajaa, 78, was born before the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians when Israel was created in 1948, known as the Nakba, or catastrophe, to Palestinians.
"After Oct 7, they took all these hills. We were kicked out in 1948, 1967... and now again in 2024. But this land is ours," he said.
The Oct 7 attack that sparked war in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Fighters also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 44 confirmed dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 39,006 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory's Health Ministry.
Since the war erupted, violence has soared in the West Bank, with at least 579 Palestinians killed, according to the Palestinian authorities. At least 16 Israelis have been killed in attacks, according to Israeli figures.
Nawajaa said his biggest concern is his grandchildren. He does not let them leave the house.
He said settlers had struck him and left him lying on the floor of his house. Others in the village have had similar experiences.
"They come at night, about 3am. They say 'this house is mine'."
The harassment has frayed nerves in Susya. The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity set up tent clinics this year due to concerns for the villagers' mental health.
"There is no doubt that this is the biggest problem here," said MSF coordinator Simona Onidi.
"We can't talk about post-traumatic disorder here. It's never post, it's a permanent trauma."
Shepherd Abdul Rahim al-Nawajaa, 60, is despondent for the future.
"The suffering is endless," said the Bedouin as he pruned his acacia tree, the only one left since his olive trees were "vandalised".
Settlers killed his father a few years ago in a dispute over a sheep and have demolished Abdul's house "several times".
"Settlers act in total impunity. A soldier might put a gun to your head and you can't do anything."
Fears of a new forced exodus stalk Susya. But Mohamed al-Nawajaa defiantly declared: "We will stay in our houses."
Pointing to the ground, he said: "We will live on our land and we will die here."
The writer is from AFP