At around 2:30 a.m. I woke up to the sound of commotion outside our house and the sound of soldiers speaking in Hebrew. My husband woke up too and he immediately told me to wake our 16-year-old son and let him know Israeli soldiers were in our neighbourhood.

 

Shortly afterwards we heard sounds outside our front door. My husband opened the door and a group of 10-15 soldiers entered our home. They were masked and had a fierce-looking dog with them which was not muzzled. I was terrified to see the soldiers and the dog.

 

Then the soldiers entered our son’s bedroom and searched it making a mess. They tore mattresses and bedsheets and threw everything on the floor. They also searched the other rooms and messed them up too. My house was unrecognizable afterwards.

 

Our 8-year-old daughter was terrified when a soldier brought the dog close to her and the dog started to sniff. She was so scared that she wet herself. For months afterwards our daughter would not leave my side. She wouldn’t let me leave her for a second, not even to go to the bathroom. She is also too scared to sleep in her own bedroom now.

 

The soldiers then separated our son from the rest of us and took him to the living room. Then they came back and told us they wanted to arrest our son. They did not give us any documentation and did not tell us where they were going to take him. About three hours later the soldiers left with our son after messing up our home and scaring us.

 

I find it hard to express in words how I felt that night. The months that followed during the time when my son was in prison I isolated myself from everyone around me. I had no desire to see or to talk to anyone.

 

Israeli soldiers often come to our refugee camp. They wake people up and conduct arrests. Life here is difficult and unsafe. I constantly worry about my children and often think that they have no future.