I was at the supermarket at noon when clashes broke out between young men and Israeli soldiers. It was chaotic. Four soldiers ran towards the supermarket and three of them came in and grabbed me. One of them tied my hands behind my back with two plastic ties connected to each other like a chain. They were tight and painful and left marks on my wrists. He then blindfolded me and quickly took me outside and pushed me into the back of a military jeep and forced me to sit on the metal floor. 

 

The jeep drove to a nearby military base called Jabara where I was left in a room. At around midnight I was taken for interrogation. The interrogator removed the hand ties and blindfold. He was not wearing a uniform and had a voice recorder on his desk. He immediately started to question me and told me soldiers had testified against me. He claimed they had told him I was throwing stones. I denied the accusation. Then he told me to save himself and myself the hassle and confess because it was late at night and he was tired. 

 

He questioned me for about 45 minutes and at the end he asked me to sign a document written in Hebrew and I signed without thinking much about it because I was tired. He questioned me without allowing me to speak to a lawyer and without informing me of my right to silence. At one point another interrogator came into the room and claimed he had photographic evidence against me. When I asked to see the photographs the other interrogator told him he was not going to show me anything. Then he asked me if any of my family members had work permits to work in Israel. When I told him my brother had a permit he threatened to revoke it if I did not confess. 

 

After the interrogation I was taken back to the room where I was left on the floor until noon. I did not sleep at all. Then I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. I was strip searched before being taken to the minors’ section. The following day I was taken to the military court. My family did not attend because they were not told I had a hearing, and my detention was extended. 

 

I had seven military court hearings. About a month before I was released I was sentenced in a plea bargain to five months in prison and fined NIS 2,500. I also received a suspended sentence of six months suspended for three years. My lawyer told me it was a good deal and advised me to accept it and I did. He told me there was no other choice for me. 

 

I spent my prison sentence at Ofer. My parents did not visit me because they did not apply for a permit. In prison I played table tennis, watched television and attended classes in Arabic, Hebrew and mathematics. I recently sat for my final high school exams and I am hoping to get a good average. In the meantime I am working at a shoe shop to earn some money. 

 

I was released from Ofer on 23 January 2023, and I went with another family to Ramallah. Then I took public transportation to Hebron. I arrived home in the evening. My parents were not expecting me on that day and that is why they did not come to meet me.