We do not really need to take photographs, because every week we see the same scene: a waiting room full of people who wait from morning until night in the hope of receiving a magnetic card, which they need in order to deal with the bureaucracy of the State of Israel. Many people stand on the steps leading up to the office. From time to time, we hear a soldier calling out names. One man told us that in the morning the soldiers admit up to 30 people who have somehow managed to coordinate in advance, and after that it becomes a free-for-all. Another man described how he had to fight just to get inside.

In the past, Palestinians were able to coordinate their arrival time and lead relatively normal lives. Today this is no longer possible, and people sometimes spend the entire morning waiting. One man told us he arrived at 8 a.m. and left toward evening empty-handed. We were told that there were close to 50 people inside. Only one service window is operating; the other has collapsed, as has happened before. One has to ask: what happens in an emergency, or if war breaks out? If this is the army’s standard of operation, are we likely to see a repeat of October 7?