Comparative graph
Statistics
Developments
Fact sheet
Newsletter
About us
Contact
Donate
 
Bookmark and Share
  change font size تصغير الخط تكبير الخط print
Home » Parents »

Testimony: Zeinab S.

 

Name: Zeinab S.
Age: 43
Date: 22 October 2017
Location: Tuqu, West Bank
Event: Night raid / child arrest

On 22 October 2017, a 16-year-old minor from Tuqu was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 1:30 a.m. His mother describes the night raid on the family home and the arrest of her son.

It was around 1:30 a.m. when I woke up to the sound of very loud banging in the neighbourhood and lots of people shouting. My husband looked over the balcony and saw a large number of heavily armed Israeli soldiers in the street.
 
Shortly afterwards about 15 soldiers came running towards our house. I was terrified and my knees could no longer hold me.
 
Some of the soldiers stormed into our home without explaining themselves. Then they started to take photos and to film. They told my husband to bring all our children into the living room and then they said they wanted to take our 17-year-old son for questioning.
 
A soldier asked for our son’s mobile phone but when he said he did not have a phone they went into his bedroom and started to search it. They threw his belongings on the floor and made a huge mess.  They found an old broken telephone and took it away.
 
It was a chaotic scene, everyone shouting, everyone scared and tense. I cannot describe the fear I felt and the worry I had for my son. One of the soldiers threatened to pay us a visit every night. Another soldier wore a mask and spoke good Arabic.
 
We barely had time to say goodbye to our son before he was taken outside where he was tied and blindfolded. I was able to hold my tears until that moment but as soon as they left I burst into tears.
 
It was a night I will never forget. Israeli soldiers want to instill fear in our hearts and our children’s hearts and that is why they are in our village every single day of the week. The Israeli authorities have their eye on this area and have built many settlements over the years. It is the settlements that make our lives miserable.