About four-and-a-half months before I was arrested, I was in the area near Rachel’s Tomb, Bethlehem, when Israeli soldiers shot me in the chest. A bullet went in through my chest and came out through my back. It was a serious injury and I was told I was going to be paralyzed. Thankfully I recovered and was able to walk before I was arrested.

 

On the day of my arrest, soldiers raided our home at around 4:30 a.m. They broke our front door and came in but I managed to run away. The commander soon phoned me and told me I had to turn myself in, otherwise he was going to arrest my father instead. The soldiers caused damage to our furniture while they searched every corner of our house. They had my photo with them and showed it to my father. They asked him whose photo it was and my father told them it was of his youngest son. The commander told me and my father I had to turn myself in by noon.

 

Later that morning I went with my father to Checkpoint 300 as ordered to turn myself in. As soon as I arrived a soldier tied my hands to the front. He also shackled me. They kept me for a short while and then I was taken in a police car together with my father. I sat on a seat inside the car. I was taken to Atarot police station, in East Jerusalem, where we arrived at around 12:30 p.m. At around 2:00 p.m. they told my father to leave. As soon as my father left the soldiers beat me.

 

I was left all day in an outdoor cage. I had no place to sit on except on the ground. I was tied and shackled the whole time. Soldiers swore at me and called my mother and sisters “whores”. They also yelled at me. They told me I was accused of throwing stones and burning objects at soldiers. They threatened if I did not confess, they were going to send me to the detention centre where detainees from Gaza are held where they are tortured all the time. 

 

During my time in the cage, I asked to use a toilet and they allowed me. I asked for some food and they brought me some food. I was left there until around 10:00 p.m. They told me they were waiting for the interrogator to show up, but he never did. Then, at around 10:00 p.m. I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. I was strip searched before being taken to section 13.

 

I was interrogated multiple times. Each interrogation lasted between four and six hours. They would take me at around 7:00 a.m. and leave me in the waiting room until around 12:30 p.m. If I asked for food, they would beat me up and not bring any food. At around 2:00 p.m. I would be taken fin or interrogation. I was always interrogated while handcuffed to the front and shackled.

 

The interrogator swore at me and called my mother and sisters “whores”. He told me if `I confessed he would send me home, if I did not, he would keep me in detention to rot. He beat and kicked me sometimes. I did not confess.

 

They made me sign documents written in Hebrew which I did not understand. At the last interrogation I told them I was not going to sign a document I did not understand. 

 

I have not been sentenced yet and I have not seen my parents since I was arrested. The first time I saw a lawyer was in a military court over a video link. I have not had a visit by a lawyer in prison although I have asked for one. My first court hearing was three days after I as arrested.

 

Prison conditions are bad. They let us out for an outdoor break once a day for one hour only. If one of us misbehaves, they deny all of us a break. The cell is overcrowded; instead of six boys in a cell, we are now 10. Four of us sleep on the floor. They give us food not suitable even for animals: Almost raw rice without salt or spice. We crave sugar. They bring us tea without sugar and the tea is simply coloured water without any flavour. 

 

Some detainees have passed out from exhaustion and lack of food. My health condition is bad. I am unable to sleep at night because of pain in the chest where the bullet penetrated my body. The medicine they give me is not as effective as the one I used to take at home. Their medicine relaxes my nerves because I have convulsions. I need proper medical treatment. We don’t have pens to write with. I need a pen to write. There are no books, only the Quran. They treat us as if we are animals. 

 

I was beaten up when they brought me to meet with you. During Ramadan a special unit of the prison guards raided our cell and beat up everyone, even those with serious injuries. One boy has a broken leg with platinum rods holding his bones in place, he was beaten up. Another has five bullet wounds in his body and he was beaten up too.