I was asleep when I woke up and found Israeli soldiers in my bedroom. It was around 3:30 a.m. First I thought I was dreaming but then a soldier grabbed my leg and I realized it was for real. Then they started to shout at me. I quickly got up and one of the soldiers struck me on the shoulder with the back of his gun. He told me I was a "fucker" and to get up.

 

An intelligence officer then introduced himself as "Captain Habib". He took me aside and questioned me about weapons. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about and that I didn’t have any weapons. He then claimed I was friends with some of the young men who were killed by Israeli soldiers and that I knew a lot about them and the weapons they used. When I told him this was not true he told me that what I don’t provide voluntarily will be taken from me by force.

 

The soldiers did not give us any documents and did not tell us where they were going to take me. I was then taken outside where my hands were tied behind my back with a single plastic tie which was very tight. I was also blindfolded. I was then put in the back of a military vehicle and made to sit on the floor. There were soldiers and muzzled dogs inside the vehicle.

 

The vehicle drove for about 30 minutes and stopped at a military base which I couldn’t recognize. I was taken to an open area where I sat on the ground. The soldiers who went by kicked and slapped me. At one point I screamed of pain. I was then taken to see a doctor who removed the blindfold. He also asked the soldiers to tie me to the front. I was tied and blindfolded again after the examination.

 

I was then taken to a room with lots of soldiers who were sleeping on the floor. They made me sit on a chair and each time I fell asleep someone would slap me to wake me up. I remained in the room until around 7:00 p.m. when I was given some food and water.

 

Later I was put in the back of a jeep where I sat on the floor again. The jeep drove for about an hour and then I was taken to a place where I was photographed and fingerprinted. They also took some personal information and opened a file for me. About two hours later I was put back in the jeep which drove for about 90 minutes to Al Jalame interrogation centre, in Israel. I had never heard of this prison before.

 

At Al Jalame I was strip searched and asked to crouch up and down while naked. I was then given prison uniform and taken to a small cell the size of a small bathroom. I thought they wanted me to use the bathroom there and when I was done I knocked at the door for someone to let me out. But the soldier told me to shut up and to stay where I was. The cell was freezing cold and the sound of the air conditioner was so loud that I couldn’t sleep. There was no mattress or blanket.

 

I remained in this small cell from around 10:00 a.m. until around 3:00 p.m. when soldiers moved me to a slightly bigger cell. There was a toilet and a mattress and a blanket in the second cell which was about 2 x 2 meters. It was painted black and the walls were rough. The second cell was also very cold and had a loud air-conditioning system. The soldiers removed the tie and the blindfold and left me in that cell for about three days.

 

For three days I was by myself in the cell the whole time and did not know whether it was day or night. Soldiers brought me food regularly but I refused to eat and told them I wanted to know why I was there under such harsh conditions but no one told me why. On the third day I was taken to see a doctor who told me I had to eat and if I didn’t they were going to force feed me. I then decided to eat.

 

At around 4:00 p.m. on the third day I was taken for interrogation. I was handcuffed to the front and shackled during the interrogation. I was also tied to the chair. The interrogator told me he was going to ask me some questions and if I answered all of them he was going to release me. He then started to question me. He did not inform me of any rights.

 

He asked where I kept the weapons. I told him I did not possess any weapons. He accused me of lying and told me he had information that I was lying. He then wanted to know where I was on the day when an incident happened in my village. I told him I was at home. I told him my mother and sister could testify. When I asked to speak to my father on the phone he refused.

 

The interrogation lasted for about 90 minutes. The whole time the interrogator wanted to know where I kept the weapons. I swore to him I didn’t have weapons and he got angry and slapped me and told me never to swear by god. He yelled and shouted a lot in my face and banged the table angrily. Then the intelligence officer Habib entered the room and joined the interrogation. He asked me the same questions and I gave the same answers. I was then taken back to the cell where the handcuffs were removed. The following morning I was taken for another round of interrogation.

 

I was handcuffed but I wasn’t tied to the chair this time. Two interrogators took part. One played the role of the good guy who wanted what’s good for me and the other played the role of the bad guy who was angry and banged the table the whole time. The bad guy accused me of the same accusation and wanted to know if I had any connection to those who took part in the incident. I told him I didn’t know them. The interrogation lasted for about 90 minutes. I was then put in a  troop carrier and taken to Megiddo prison, inside Israel.

 

At Megiddo I was locked up in a room by myself but the room had a TV set and a bed and was quite comfortable. A person then came to the door and welcomed me. He told me his name was "Abu Ennour" and claimed he was the person in charge of the prisoners from the Fateh party. He also told me he was from a nearby village and that he knew my family. I told him I wanted to be with the other prisoners and he told me soon I would join them.

 

He told me I had to tell him everything about the incident because the party wanted to acknowledge my role and to reward me. I told him I had no role in any incident. At that point I realised this person was an informer as I had heard of this technique from other prisoners.

 

I remained in that room for three days. I wasn’t allowed to leave the cell and Abu Ennour and other informers kept visiting me. One of them told me I had to tell him everything because it was feared that other factions might take credit for the incident and that if I told him everything he would transfer me to be with the other prisoners. I told him I had only heard about the incident on the news. I told him it was reported that a shepherd witnessed the whole thing. He then wanted me to give him the name of the shepherd and I told him I didn’t know him.

 

I was then taken back to Al Jalame for another round of interrogation. The first thing the interrogator asked me was the name of the shepherd and I told him I didn’t know him. Half-an-hour later he sent me back to the cell where I remained until I was released.

 

While at Al Jalame I had military court hearings and a lawyer visited me. My parents did not attend any of the hearings because they took place during the interrogation phase. I also had two hearings at Salem military court which my parents attended and I was allowed to speak to them.

 

On the last three days of my detention I was transferred to Megiddo prison. I had one more court hearing at Salem while there. At Salem an Israeli policeman took a statement from me and then he printed it in Hebrew and asked me to sign it but I refused. He then translated it and printed it in Arabic and I agreed to sign it.

 

I was released on 3 March 2016, after a court hearing at around 7:00 p.m. My parents were not there so I went home by myself. When I got home I found out that the Israeli police took a statement from my sister and mother who said I was at home on the day on the incident.