Israeli soldiers banged at our front door at around 4:00 a.m. I woke up to the sound of the banging. My father answered the door and found 10 masked soldiers at our front door. They told my father they wanted to search our home and he let them in. They came into my bedroom and searched it but did not find anything. They remained inside our house for about two hours.

 

Then they gave my father a document and told him they wanted to arrest me for questioning. The document was filled out in Hebrew. Then one of the soldiers told me to put on my jacket. They tied my hands to the front with two plastic ties on top of each other. The ties were tight and painful. Then I was taken outside where I was blindfolded.

 

I was then taken to the back of a military jeep where I was allowed to sit on a seat. The jeep drove somewhere I did not recognise. One of the soldiers hit me on the head and swore at me on the way. Then I was taken to a room where I was left for about two hours. I was not given anything to eat or drink and I was not allowed to use a toilet. A soldier then removed my blindfold and took me to an interrogation room. 

 

The interrogator was wearing an Israeli police uniform. He had a camera and a voice recorder in the room. He handed me the telephone and told me I could speak to a lawyer. The lawyer told me not to be scared and not to speak. The interrogator left the room during the conversation which lasted less than two minutes. 

 

When the interrogator returned he accused me of throwing stones during a protest in Aida refugee camp. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about. He yelled at me and told me not to pretend I was an idiot. He did not inform me of my right to silence. On the contrary, he told me I had to tell him what had happened. He thumped the table aggressively and shouted at me telling me to confess. He threatened to bring my mother to the police station if I did not confess. I denied the accusation. He showed me a photograph of a boy during clashes but it was not me.

 

At the end of the interrogation he asked me to sign a document written in Hebrew. I asked him to translate it for me but he refused and I refused to sign the document. Then I was taken to another room where I waited for about four hours. Then I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched before being taken to the minors’ section.

 

The following day I was taken to the military court. My parents were not there because they were not informed. My detention was extended. I had about eight military court hearings. 

 

At the last military court hearing, which was on the day I was released, the military judge decided to release me on bail. My father had to pay NIS 4,000 bail and the judge told me I was not allowed to leave my house except with my father. He did not specify the duration of this restriction. I was released on 22 March 2023.

 

I had two more military court hearings after I was released. A third hearing was scheduled but I could not attend. My lawyer does not answer our calls anymore. I want to know where I stand now and I am worried that I might be arrested again.

 

I was released at Al Jib checkpoint and went home with my father. We arrived home at around 8:00 p.m. and had a nice dinner with my family and friends.  

 

I decided to drop out of school and to work with my father in construction.