M.A.
On 14 December 2024, a special Israeli unit raided my home . They arrived in vehicles with Palestinian license plates, surrounded the house and broke in. They took me out of the house, tied my hands, covered my eyes with a cloth, pushed me into one of the vehicles and threw me onto the floor.
they broke two of my ribs and caused a deep cut under my right eye, a cut above my left eyebrow and bleeding from my ear. When I collapsed to the floor, one of them pressed his hand down on my head and face.
During the drive, the soldiers stepped on my stomach and other parts of my body. They took me to a military camp, I don’t know which, and gave me a basic medical examination. Because of the bruising on my chest and stomach, I was taken that night to a hospital, whose name I also don’t know. They ran some tests there and then transferred me to the Jalameh interrogation center. That’s where my interrogation period began. It lasted 68 days. I was interrogated on suspicion of helping wanted Palestinians and of failing to report them. The interrogations were brutal. They beat, abused, humiliated and cursed me.
For the first 40 days, I was held in solitary confinement. After that, they transferred me to a dark cell with no light coming in. There were nine other detainees in the cell, all from the Gaza Strip. They told me they had been there for almost nine months.
A few days after I was brought there, about 15 members of a special IPS unit burst into the cell. Without any warning, they sprayed us with pepper spray, beat us with batons and sticks and punched us with hard gloves. In that attack, they broke two of my ribs and caused a deep cut under my right eye, a cut above my left eyebrow and bleeding from my ear. When I collapsed to the floor, one of them pressed his hand down on my head and face.
We were taken with our hands cuffed and our eyes covered, and shifted from prison to prison: from Jalameh to Megiddo Prison, then to Hadarim, Ramle, Ohaley Kedar, and finally Nafha. At every stop, the soldiers beat me severely.
Because of the heavy bleeding from my ear and the area around my eyes, I was taken to the hospital in Afula. At the hospital, they stitched the wounds under my right eye and above my left eyebrow. After a few hours, I was put back in the dark cell, where the abuse continued.
I was held in the dark cell for 28 days, together with the detainees from the Gaza Strip. The food we were given was minimal. For breakfast, we got two spoonfuls of labneh, two slices of bread and a small piece of green pepper. For lunch, a small cup of rice, three slices of bread and a piece of vegetable. For dinner, an old egg, two spoonfuls of hummus, two slices of bread and a piece of vegetable.
On 19 February 2025, I was transferred from Jalameh to Nafha Prison. The transfer took two days and was a series of tortures. We were taken with our hands cuffed and our eyes covered, and shifted from prison to prison: from Jalameh to Megiddo Prison, then to Hadarim, Ramle, Ohaley Kedar, and finally Nafha. At every stop, the soldiers beat me severely.
The temperature in the prison was very low. For the first 35 days I was there, no prisoner was allowed to shower. After skin diseases spread among us, they allowed us to shower once every two days.
When I reached Nafha Prison, they forced me to strip naked and then gave me only pants and a shirt to wear. When I asked for basic items like a towel, mattress, blanket, or toothbrush, my requests were denied and I was beaten, humiliated and cursed. For three months, I shared mattresses and blankets with other prisoners until I was finally given my own mattress and blanket.
The temperature in the prison was very low. For the first 35 days I was there, no prisoner was allowed to shower. After skin diseases spread among us, they allowed us to shower once every two days.
The food in all the prisons was very poor in both quantity and quality. During my time in prison, I lost 12 kg. When I was arrested, I weighed 73 kg and when I was released, I weighed 61.
In Nafha Prison, I was beaten, humiliated, cursed and constantly abused. Twice a week, guards raided the cells, sprayed tear gas and beat all the inmates. Three times a day, during roll call, they forced us to kneel or lie flat on the ground for 15 to 20 minutes, and everyone had to comply.
On 13 October 2025, I was released as part of the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. A month later, I’m still in pain all over my body.
* Testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi on 11 November 2025