Approximately 20 residents of Kibbutz Merav found themselves compelled to take a bold step this Sunday morning, once again crossing the separation fence into Samaria. Their destination: the boundaries of the Palestinian village of Jilabon. This daring move came in response to renewed gunfire directed at the kibbutz from the direction of Jilabon. It marked the second time that these residents had undertaken such a protest, with the previous occasion necessitating the intervention of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to lead them out of the Palestinian village. Following the conclusion of their protest on this particular morning, the residents made their way back to the relative safety of the kibbutz.

The resident at the heart of this alarming episode is Zvi Radler, whose house stands perilously close to the seam line. In a conversation with Israeli reporters this morning, Radler recounted a harrowing experience, saying, "On Friday evening, as I left my house, they opened fire on me relentlessly, employing two weapons. They rained a hail of bullets down upon me. I immediately took cover as the barrage began, while upstairs, my children were terrified, thinking that fireworks were exploding due to a wedding celebration in the village. I rushed into the house, hunched over."

תושבי קיבוץ מירב: "אין בכוונתנו להמשיך לשבת ללא מעש ולחכות לאסון. ירדנו אל הכפר ג'ילבון כדי להגן על חיינו וחיי משפחותינו. לא נשתוק ולא נשב בחיבוק ידיים עד שהשקט שהיה מנת חלקנו עד כה ישוב לאזורנו"@Doron_Kadosh https://t.co/L6lBZ1qrs3

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) October 1, 2023

Radler shared the frightening detail that a bullet had struck dangerously close to his children's room, narrowly missing him. "It's nothing short of a miracle that I survived," he declared. "My funeral could have easily been the headline. I sprinted for a full 40 seconds; it's unbelievable. They emptied their cartridges on my house." According to Radler's account, there were at least two assailants involved, one of them possibly armed with a machine gun.

In the wake of this shooting attack, the residents of Merav felt compelled to issue a resolute statement. "We refuse to continue remaining passive, awaiting an imminent disaster. Our visit to the village of Jilabon was an act of self-preservation, undertaken to protect our lives and the lives of our families. The writing on the wall is clear, and if the security situation doesn't change immediately, the next fatality is merely a matter of time. We place our full trust in the IDF and its capabilities, and we demand an urgent shift in the security dynamics," the residents emphasized. "We shall not remain silent or inactive until the peace that has hitherto characterized our region is restored."

Jalboun, Jenin |

Following multiple previous shootings targeting the military posts of Israeli occupation forces south of the Merav kibbutz by Jenin Battalion fighters, an additional patrol unit has been deployed this evening near the seamline to deter any further incidents. pic.twitter.com/pRbN3oDxS1

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) September 22, 2023

The distressing pattern of shootings targeting Merav's residents, which has been recurring in recent months, has already inflicted damage on several houses within the kibbutz. In the past, shots were even fired at a military patrol vehicle, although, fortunately, there were no casualties. The initial incident transpired on April 8, the eve of the Passover Seder, and since then, an alarming tally of 11 such occurrences have unfolded. During these events, three houses along the kibbutz's front line sustained damage. These attacks have become an unfortunate routine, transpiring every few days or weeks, always originating from the direction of Jilabon, which lies just beyond the border. Despite the arrest of two suspects in connection with the shootings, these troubling events persist.