We got to an intersection where a few people were standing around but urging us not to move forward and shouting at others to stay back. The tank is "up there to the left and they just shot one person crossing the street. Please stay back." We decided to go another way rather than argue.
When we finally got to the street that lead directly to the school, I asked the boys that lead us there to stay back as we approached. No one was on this street, but we could see the tank and armored personnel carrier in front of the UN school. I was holding my breath, not knowing if they'd open fire on us or not, but we tried to stay in plain view as we advanced. Suddenly an Israeli military jeep that was parked near the school, pulled up next to us. A door opened and a soldier yelled at me to come closer. I refused, asking who he was and by what authority he was making demands of me? He closed the door, the jeep screeched forward then moved back, stopping only a few inches in front of me. The back door opened and a soldier reached out and grabbed me. My camera was still on as I screamed for them to let me go. The soldier whose orders I had originally refused now grabbed my arm and was trying to wrestle the camera from me. I refused to let go but he grabbed the viewer of the camera that was open and twisted it until it broke. Now three soldiers were on me trying to push me into the jeep as I struggled to wrestle free, if only long enough to pass the camera on to Heidi, who could at least try to save the tape. I was being pushed and pulled and an M16 was jabbed into my side, but I finally did manage to pass the camera to her. It wasn't until the soldiers pulled my legs into the jeep that they realized I didn't have the camera and ordered other soldiers to go after Heidi. "Oh run, please Heidi. Go! Go!" I was praying she'd take the tape out as I hadn't managed to communicate with her in the chaos and wasn't sure if she realized the tape was still in the camera. She didn't because when I got to the DCO (District Coordinating Office), my camera was produced, smashed, and tape missing (which Heidi later told me she didn't have).
When we finally got to the street that lead directly to the school, I asked the boys that lead us there to stay back as we approached. No one was on this street, but we could see the tank and armored personnel carrier in front of the UN school. I was holding my breath, not knowing if they'd open fire on us or not, but we tried to stay in plain view as we advanced. Suddenly an Israeli military jeep that was parked near the school, pulled up next to us. A door opened and a soldier yelled at me to come closer. I refused, asking who he was and by what authority he was making demands of me? He closed the door, the jeep screeched forward then moved back, stopping only a few inches in front of me. The back door opened and a soldier reached out and grabbed me. My camera was still on as I screamed for them to let me go. The soldier whose orders I had originally refused now grabbed my arm and was trying to wrestle the camera from me. I refused to let go but he grabbed the viewer of the camera that was open and twisted it until it broke. Now three soldiers were on me trying to push me into the jeep as I struggled to wrestle free, if only long enough to pass the camera on to Heidi, who could at least try to save the tape. I was being pushed and pulled and an M16 was jabbed into my side, but I finally did manage to pass the camera to her. It wasn't until the soldiers pulled my legs into the jeep that they realized I didn't have the camera and ordered other soldiers to go after Heidi. "Oh run, please Heidi. Go! Go!" I was praying she'd take the tape out as I hadn't managed to communicate with her in the chaos and wasn't sure if she realized the tape was still in the camera. She didn't because when I got to the DCO (District Coordinating Office), my camera was produced, smashed, and tape missing (which Heidi later told me she didn't have).