Without an Israeli permit, Sana can't live in Jerusalem with her husband and children. But if Mohammed moves to the West Bank, he risks losing his Jerusalem residency and all access to the city of his birth.

Palestinians say it has never been easy to get a residency permit to move from the West Bank to east Jerusalem.

But in 2003, as the intifada raged on, Israel passed an emergency measure which effectively ended the process of family reunification, citing security concerns.

Around the same time, Israel was also building a vast barrier through the West Bank which has since cut off most of Arab east Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied territories, making access to the Holy City without a permit even harder.

In 2005, when Sana's permit ran out, she received an order expelling her from Jerusalem.

Since then, I've been living illegally with my husband and children in Jerusalem, the 31-year-old told AFP.

I left Jerusalem for a short period, but then I snuck back in and began living in hiding with my husband and children, who have permits, she said.

Her life, she says, has become a nightmare of constant fear. Turning the corner in a certain neighbourhood could bring her face-to-face with a security official who could send her back to Hebron, separating her from her children.

I barely leave the house, she told AFP. I only go out to go to the doctor or to meet my children's teachers. When I'm near an area with police or soldiers, I feel terrified.