A month after the events of October 7, 2023, the situation in Israel remains tense and uncertain. In Tel Aviv, the streets have become the stage for mass protests, with thousands demanding the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the initial wave of attacks. Families of the captives, alongside peace activists and concerned citizens, hold daily demonstrations, their calls for the safe return of their loved ones growing more desperate with each passing day. Meanwhile, Jerusalem is empty. The city, typically bustling with worshippers, tourists, and residents, is now enveloped in an unsettling silence. The absence of life in the usually vibrant streets reflects the broader sense of dread. A refugee camp has been set up in Ramallah to shelter Palestinian workers from Gaza who were on Israeli soil as of dawn on October 7. Around 18,500 Palestinian residents of Gaza had permits to work in Israel most of them in construction and agriculture. But they were revoked soon after Hamas’ attacks, leaving the workers in limbo. So hundreds of laborers left their places of work to take shelter in a converted sports center in the West Bank, which is partly administered by the Palestinian Authority. At the IBSA sports center in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Gazan workers are crammed into the main hall and sleep on foam mattresses or bedding on a soccer pitch outdoors. Laundry hangs on sports equipment as men mill about, passing the time the best they can.
