Over more than seven and a half decades of struggle, names of Palestinian families from various provinces have emerged in the resistance register, having paid steep prices on the path to liberation. Among them are martyrs, prisoners, and detainees across generations.
In the Hebron Hill located in the southern part of the West Bank, the Al-Faqih family has contributed martyrs and prisoners across different generations since the Nakba of 1948 to this day, in addition to pursuits and house demolitions, thus embodying a general Palestinian experience.
Six months into the marriage of Yusuf Ahmad Al-Faqih, he was martyred in the summer of 1956 while serving in the Jordanian army, which ruled the West Bank then, in the village of Al-Burj, southwest of Hebron city, east of the ceasefire line with the territories occupied in 1948.
That day, six years after the Nakba, as Israeli occupation soldiers attempted to enter the village from the west, he rushed to his rifle, but it accidentally fired and struck him, rendering him a martyr. His story transformed into a narrative that his mother passed onto her children and grandchildren, who did not live through that era.
The largest number of martyrs was recorded during 2023, with the martyrdom and loss of about 29,500 Palestinian citizens (Al Jazeera)
The Inspiration of Martyrdom
Yusuf's story became a common topic in family gatherings and inspired its members, with his spirit flowing within them, according to his brother Ayed Al-Faqih, who spoke to Al Jazeera Net. They memorized his story by heart, giving birth to those among them who followed in his path and died as martyrs, and others who were shackled by prison chains.
On December 27, 2002, Ayed's son, Ahmad, from the city of Dura in the southern West Bank, carried out an operation in the "Otniel" settlement, one of the southern Hebron settlements, leading to the death and injury of several settlers and his martyrdom, following in his uncle's footsteps—a source of inspiration every time he heard his relatives recount it.
The martyr's father, Ahmad, mentioned that he and all his family members were pursued and threatened after Ahmad's martyrdom. He spent 12 days under interrogation, while his son Yusuf was detained for about seven and a half years, in addition to their home being demolished.
Ayed Al-Faqih, a retired employee not born when his brother was martyred, adds that his martyred son heard the story of his Uncle Yusuf from his grandmother, which profoundly affected him until he followed him in martyrdom. He notes that Ahmad's body was withheld for 14 years before being returned after campaigns by human rights organizations.
Martyr Mohamed Al-Faqih (left) martyred on July 27, 2016, and his son Mohamed born after his martyrdom (Al Jazeera)
A Third Martyr on the Path
Approximately 62 years after his Uncle Yusuf and 14 years following his cousin Ahmad's martyrdom, the young Mohamed Jabara Al-Faqih continued on their path. On July 1, 2016, he carried out an operation that killed an Israeli rabbi in the same settlement where his cousin had been martyred. He was then pursued and assassinated in Surif village, west of Hebron, and his body remains detained in the numbered cemeteries, as recounted by his brother Hussein Al-Faqih.
Hussein Al-Faqih, in his discussion with Al Jazeera Net, points out that his family faced pursuits and arrests following his brothers' operations and during his chase. He was detained and summoned several times, as were his mother and siblings. The circle of pursuits and arrests expanded to include no fewer than 25 relatives and in-laws of the martyr Mohamed, in addition to house raids and property damage.
He notes that his martyred brother Mohamed had spent five years in detention, leaving behind a pregnant wife. His son, named Mohamed after him, was born posthumously, and their other brother, Suhaib, has been detained since 2016 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Prisoner Suhaib Al-Faqih has been detained since 2016 and sentenced to 16 years in prison (Al Jazeera)
Palestinian Martyrs' Day
Palestinians commemorate "Palestinian Martyrs' Day" on January 7 each year, honoring their fallen who are estimated to be nearly 130,000 since the Nakba of 1948, according to Palestinian official bodies.
This day was recognized as Palestinian Martyrs' Day in 1969, four years after the first martyr of the armed Palestinian revolution — Ahmed Musa Salama from the Fatah movement, who fell on January 1, 1965, known for the "Ailabun Tunnel" operation in the northern occupied territories of 1948.
The past year has been the bloodiest for Palestinians since 1948, with the largest annual toll of martyrs, the martyrdom, and loss of approximately 29,500 Palestinian citizens as follows:
- 21,822 martyrs in Gaza.
- Over 7,000 missing in Gaza.
- 527 martyrs from the West Bank.
Data indicate that about 11,540 Palestinians were martyred from the end of 2000 until the end of 2022. The Palestinian National Information Center reports that during the Nakba battles, about 15,000 Palestinians were martyred, while the number of Arab martyrs ranged from 3,500 to 7,000.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that the total number of Palestinian and Arab martyrs since the Nakba in 1948 until May 2023 (the anniversary of the Nakba) is roughly 100,000.
Since October 7, the occupation army, with American support, continues a destructive assault on the Gaza Strip. In addition to the martyrs, the offensive has resulted in approximately 56,450 injuries, the displacement of nearly 1.9 million Gazans, and vast destruction to homes and infrastructure.
