It was a very hot night and I went to bed at around 2:00 a.m. My husband went to sleep downstairs in the living room because of the heat.

 

I had hardly fallen asleep when I heard a loud bang. I sat up in bed and looked through the dark room trying to figure out where the sound came from. Once my eyes adjusted I was horrified to see a person aiming a gun at me. He then shone a light in my face. I started screaming and shouting hysterically when I realised it was an Israeli soldier.

 

My daughter, who is one-and-a-half years old, woke up to the sound of me screaming and started to cry. The soldier then told me to "shut up". I quickly wrapped myself in the bed sheet and froze in my place. I was shivering and I felt my knees would not hold me if I tried to stand up.

 

My mobile rang but I couldn’t answer it. I could hear my husband downstairs yelling at the soldiers from the living room. I was worried they might hurt him if he continued to shout so I told him I was all right and to calm down.  He later told me the soldiers pushed him into the corner and told him to "shut up".

 

My mobile rang again and this time I answered it. It was my mother-in-law who wanted to warn me that Israeli soldiers were in our neighbourhood. I told her the soldiers were already in our home.

 

About six soldiers entered our home. They left after about half-an-hour without giving us any explanation. They did not arrest my husband or even search the house. I think it may have been a training exercise.

 

When the soldiers had left I found they had broken our metal front door. I could not sleep that night and felt sick the following day.

 

This is not the first time that Israeli soldiers have come to our home in the middle of the night. I feel unsafe and I want to leave and move somewhere else. I don’t want to raise children in this environment.