... found shelter and safety underground!

Over time, electricity generated by solar panels and water drawn from a well have turned the cave into a new home for Aamer, his two wives, and their 11 children, who long for life above ground.

Speaking to the French Press Agency (AFP) in an interview published today, Aamer said, “We used to live in a house above ground where we could see the world. Today, we live in an underground cave that resembles a grave.”

His children play in a courtyard newly created on the hillside in front of the cave: his daughters sing Arabic songs on a karaoke machine while the younger boys watch.

Parts of the ruins of his two houses still stand three years after the army demolished them. Meanwhile, Israeli flags flutter on a ridge about 300 meters away, and floodlights and walls mark the presence of the Israeli settlement of Avigayil. Aamer says that some of its residents occasionally carry out thefts and attacks, further compounding the difficulties faced by his family.