I was sleeping in the living room next to the air conditioner because it was so hot. At around 2:30 a.m. my mother woke me up and told me that Israeli soldiers were at our front door. My father quickly took me back to the bedroom. My mother opened the door and about 10 soldiers entered our home. One soldier came straight to my bedroom and told me I was under arrest. They did not give us any documents. 

 

Within about 10 minutes I was taken outside where I was blindfolded and my hands were tied behind my back with metal handcuffs. They were tight and painful. Then the soldiers led me on foot to Rachels’ Tomb, not far from our house. When we got there I was put in the back of a military jeep where I sat on a seat. I was then taken to Atarot police station, in East Jerusalem.

 

At Atarot I was left in an outdoor cage until around 9:00 p.m. when a soldier removed my handcuffs and blindfold before taking for interrogation.  

 

The interrogator had a camera and a voice recorder. She told me she was going to record the interrogation. I asked to speak to a lawyer and she called a lawyer and I spoke to him. The lawyer told me not to confess and whatever the interrogator tells me I should say it wasn’t me. The interrogator was not listening. Then she told I had the right to remain silent. 

 

The interrogator then said that it seemed to her that I wanted to go to prison for six months. She showed me a photograph and told me I was suspected of throwing stones at Rachel’s Tomb. I denied the accusation and told her to show me the evidence.

 

She was calm but I lost my temper and shouted at her when she repeated the accusation. She got upset and told me she no longer wanted to interrogate me. She questioned me for about 30 minutes and then she asked me to sign a document in Hebrew. I refused to sign. After the interrogation I was taken back into the cage. During this whole time, I was not given any food but I was allowed to use a toilet in the cage.

 

At around midnight I was taken to Al Mascobiyeh police station, in West Jerusalem. I was strip searched before being taken to a cell where I was left in solitary confinement for three days. After three days I was taken back to Atarot for another interrogation.

 

Back at Atarot I was interrogated by the same interrogator. She named a lawyer and called him but I refused to speak to him and asked to speak to a different lawyer. I spoke to the second lawyer who told me not to confess. 

 

Then the interrogator told me again that I had the right to remain silence. Then she told me she had questioned my father about a photograph which she claimed I was in, and that my father had confirmed it was me. I did not believe her. She was aggressive and raised her voice at me. The interrogation lasted for about 15 minutes and I continued to deny the accusation. I was not asked to sign any documents. After taking my finger prints I was driven back to Al Mascobiyeh.

 

The following day I had a military court hearing. My parents attended and my detention was extended. A few days later I had another hearing. Then, after the hearing I had another interrogation. This time I was allowed to speak to a lawyer but I was not informed of my right to silence.

 

On 14 August 2023, I was told I had another military court hearing. I was taken to court but I was left in the waiting room. Then, a guard told me I was going to be released for lack of evidence. I did not believe him.

 

Later that day I was taken in a military jeep to Al Jib checkpoint where I was released without charge. My cousin was there and he took me home. I arrived home at around 8:30 p.m. When I got home I found out they had revoked my father’s work permit. I was upset because my father is in dept and now he is without a job.