Testimony: H.N.M.J.
Name: | H.N.M.J. |
Age: | 9 |
Date of incident: | 26 July 2016 |
Location: | Zububa, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones/cutting the fence |
On 26 July 2016, a 9-year-old boy is detained by Israeli soldiers near the Wall and accused of throwing stones and cutting the fence. He is released around 13 hours later.

I was then taken to the back of a jeep where the soldiers wanted me sit on the floor but I refused and sat on the seat. The jeep drove to a nearby military base where I was taken out of the jeep. The soldiers made me sit on a pile of concrete for about an hour.
Two soldiers then started to question me. One of them spoke only Hebrew so I didn’t understand what he was saying. The other one translated for me. They wanted to know the names of the boys who were throwing stones and cutting the barbed wire. I told them I didn’t know anyone. They accused me of lying and told me I knew who tried to cut through the barbed wire. I told them I didn’t see anyone because I was picking figs and playing with my friends.
Then they took my personal details but didn’t write them down. Then I was taken to a room with cameras and computers where they removed the blindfold and took a photograph of me using a mobile phone. Then I was blindfolded again. Soldiers then brought some food and mattresses and told me and the other boys with me we could sleep.
I couldn’t sleep because I was scared. I remained in the room until around 4:00 a.m. when I was told I was going to be released. I was handed over to the Palestinian police and then I went home with my father and brother.