Upset by lack of IDF action, Kibbutz members enter Palestinian village after shots fired at their homes

About 20 residents of Kibbutz Merav in the Gilboa region crossed the separation fence and entered the nearby Palestinian village of Jilabun to protest shots fired at the kibbutz on Friday evening, the eve of Sukkot.

It was the second shooting attack at their homes in two weeks.

In both incidents, bullets hit the homes of kibbutz residents.

Upset by the lack of official response, the residents decided to take matters into their own hands. They held an emergency meeting at the kibbutz where the residents agreed to enter the Palestinian village in protest.

The Israel Border Police was alerted to their presence after the kibbutz members were seen crossing the security barrier and came to remove them to prevent a violent confrontation.

The residents also released a statement:

“The shooting was carried out at a private house. If he hadn't prostrated himself on the floor, the owner of the house would have paid with his life. He has no intention of continuing to sit idle and wait for a real disaster. The writing – and the bullets – are on the wall, the next fatality is only a matter of time.”

One of the residents told Israel's N12 news, “We're not going to sit idle and wait for a disaster. We decided to take action, as far as we're concerned, it's a war.”

דיווחים פלסטיניים: בפעם השנייה תוך שבועיים - קבוצת ישראלים, ככל הנראה מקיבוץ מירב בגלבוע, נכנסה לאדמות הכפר הפלסטיני ג'ילבון בצפון השומרון - לאחר שבערב שבת בוצע פיגוע ירי לעבר בתי הקיבוץ@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/lUl9Gb8D6z

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) October 1, 2023

Tzvi Redler, whose house was hit by bullets during the shooting told Kan Reshet Bet that the shooting had been going on for months.

“Already half a year there has been shooting at my home,” Redler said.

“I hear the bullets whistling over me, but you cannot understand how many bullets there are in house."

Redler said his military experience did not prepare him for the feeling of insecurity in his own home.

“A 2-year-old boy burst into tears,” Redler said. “Forty centimeters from the window, where the children are, there is a bullet. He cannot sleep.”

Another resident blamed the Israel Defense Forces for a lack of action despite their complaints.

“We will not wait for the IDF, which does nothing for the security of the residents,” the resident said.

“Here we are raising the gauntlet and saying ourselves to the Palestinians: Don't hurt us because we will know how to take revenge and we will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal, this is a war for life.”