I was asleep and woke up to the sound of banging at our front door. About 15 Israeli soldiers broke open the door and walked into our home at around 4:00 a.m. All the soldiers were wearing masks and looked scary. More soldiers remained outside. The soldiers who entered our house had a service dog with them. They brought the dog into my room and it sniffed around. 

 

The soldiers then started to search our home and trashed it. They broke shelves and wardrobes while they swore at us. They told us they were looking for weapons but they did not find anything. Then one of the soldiers asked me for my name and then tied my hands without telling me the reason for my arrest. He tied me behind my back with two plastic ties connected to each other like a chain. The ties were tight and painful and my hands swelled and turned blue. Then he blindfolded me and took me outside without giving my mother any documents. I was dragged out of our home barefooted and in my underwear. 

 

Once outside I was taken into the back of a jeep where I sat on the metal floor between the soldiers’ boots. Inside the jeep I was slapped on the back of my neck and sworn at. One soldier called me "a son of a whore". Then I was taken to a military base near a monastery. 

 

At the military base I was taken to a clinic and a doctor gave me a quick medical examination. Then I was put in a shipping container where the air conditioner was turned on cold. I was freezing because I was still in my underwear. I was left in the shipping container, tied and blindfolded and without any food or drink, until around 5:00 p.m. During this time I was allowed to use a toilet.

 

At around 5:00 p.m. I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched before being taken to section 13. The following day, at around 7:00 a.m., I was handcuffed before being taken for interrogation. 

 

The interrogator who was in civilian clothes. He removed my handcuffs. He immediately called a lawyer and handed me the telephone to speak to him. The lawyer told me they were going to give me an administrative detention order. He then told me not to confess. The interrogator was listening to the short conversation which lasted for about a minute. 

 

Then, after informing me of my right to silence, the interrogator accused me of weapons possession. I denied everything. I did not remain silent because I said no to all the accusations. He questioned me for about an hour and he was calm all the time. He did not threaten me. At the end he asked me to sign a document written in Arabic. I signed after reading it. After the interrogation I was taken back to prison.

 

My first military court hearing was on 9 August 2023. My father was in court and my detention was extended. I had three court hearings. My last hearing was about a month after my arrest. During that session I was given a six-month administrative detention order. Then my lawyer objected and the sentence was reduced to four months. 

 

Ten days before I was supposed to be released the war on Gaza started and I was included in the prisoners release deal with Hamas. On the day when I was released I was told I had to be taken for interrogation. I thought someone had confessed against me and that I was going to be put on trial. I was called at around 3:00 p.m. and then I was searched. Then I met with representatives from the Red Cross who told me I was going to be released. 

 

Before I was released I was called for a meeting with the Israeli intelligence officer responsible for my area. He told me I was going to be released and that I was not allowed to celebrate my release. He told me I was not allowed to raise flags of any political faction. He was aggressive and angry as he spoke to me and threatened to arrest me again if I celebrated. He did not ask me to sign any documents.

 

On 26 November 2023, at around 11:00 p.m. I was taken with the other released prisoners to the Town Hall in Al Bireh. My aunt was waiting for me because my father does not have a permit to cross checkpoints. I arrived home at around 2:00 a.m. 

 

Just before I arrived home the intelligence officer called my father and told him he could see lots of young people at our house. He warned him against any signs of celebrations, including raising of flags. I think somebody told the intelligence officer about the crowd at our house. There are lots of informants where I live, I don’t trust anyone.

 

Conditions in prison after the war changed. They disconnected the TV, took away the water kettle and the radio. Food became scarce and unappetising. They poured hot water on rice and served it to us uncooked. They took away our extra clothes and socks and pillows and shoes. They took away my mattress and I slept on a metal bed. I did not have any family visits; my first visit was supposed to be on 7 October 2023,  when Hamas attacked Israel and the prison went into lockdown. Family visits after the 7 October were suspended as well as telephone calls. Before 7 October I was allowed to call home from a phone provided by the prison authorities once every two weeks. 

 

Prison guards conducted aggressive searches and raids into our cells. Once I was beaten up by a guard. He hit me hard on my hand. The cells became overcrowded; our numbers increased from six boys in a cell to ten. Some of us had to sleep on the floor.