At around 3:15 a.m. Israeli soldiers banged at our front door. My father answered quickly because he did not want them to break down our door. The soldiers stormed in and our home was filled with soldiers. They also filled the street and went up to the roof; they were everywhere.

 

The soldiers immediately took my mother’s mobile phone and separated her from us in another room. Then they searched the house and turned things upside down and caused damage to the furniture. They were accompanied by a service dog and the dog entered the kitchen and went up to the roof. It seemed they were looking for something but it wasn’t clear to us what.

 

The soldiers then took me and my father and brothers into another room and I could hear the sound of things breaking and soldiers shouting. They were swearing. They questioned my father about me and then tied my older brother’s hands because he shouted back at them. They remained inside our home until around 7:00 a.m.

 

At around 7:00 a.m. they took me outside where they tied my hands to the back with three plastic ties: one on each wrist and one connecting the two. The ties were not painful in the beginning but then my wrists swelled and I felt pain. They also blindfolded me and then kicked me and pushed me into the back of the jeep where they made me sit on the floor. I think there were about four soldiers in the back with me. I couldn’t count them because I was blindfolded. They did not give us any documents and did not say why they were arresting me or where they were taking me.

 

The jeep drove for about 15 minutes to the nearby settlement of Dotan. At the settlement I sat on the ground outside until around 5:30 p.m. Soldiers kicked and slapped me as they went by. I was given some bread to eat and I was allowed to use the toilet. Then I was examined by a doctor who asked me if I had any physical or psychological problems.

 

At around 5.30 p.m. I was put in a vehicle which drove towards Al Jalama, inside Israel, where the soldiers filled the tank with petrol. Then I was taken to Huwwara military base. By this time it was around 10:00 p.m. I tried to remove the blindfold with the back of the seat but when the soldiers saw me they swore at me. At Huwwara I was strip searched and taken into a cell where I remained by myself until around 7:00 a.m.  

 

At around 7:30 a.m. I was taken to Salem interrogation centre. Throughout this time I only ate the bread they gave me. At Salem I waited for a short while then I was taken for interrogation. The interrogator removed the blindfold and the ties but then he tied me again to the chair with my hands behind my back. He also shackled me. He introduced himself as "Nasim" and told me I could remain silent if I wanted until a lawyer comes. He allowed me to call my parents. I did not speak to a lawyer.

 

Then he asked me why I was there and showed me a picture of my brother and some of my friends and asked me if I knew them. I was interrogated for about four hours. He kept asking me about the people in the picture and when I did not give him answers he raised his voice and stood behind me and hit me with a bunch of papers in his hand. He wanted to know how I spend my time and where I go and who I visit but I did not give him answers. I was interrogated three times over three days. In the end the interrogator typed up my statement and printed it out on Arabic and asked me to sign it and I did. Then they took my picture and my fingerprints.

 

I spent five days at Salem. When the interrogation was finished I was transferred to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. At Megiddo I was strip searched and taken into the section with other boys. I ate with the other prisoners then I went to bed.

 

On 15 March 2016, I was taken to the military court. My parents did not attend because they were not notified but my lawyer was there and the hearing was adjourned and I was taken back to Megiddo. On 20 March 2016,  I had a second hearing but the hearing was adjourned until 24 March 2016 and then again until 10 May 2016.

 

On the last hearing I was sentenced in a plea bargain to 12 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. I spent my prison sentence in Megiddo where I studied a bit but then I stopped because I was bored. I also learned how to cut hair and I liked it and I want to be trained to become a barber. I was released on 8 February 2017.