Testimonies of Muhammad ‘Abd al-Hafiz Rajabi, 14, and his mother, Halah Rajabi, 50, a mother of nine, from the al-Hariqah neighborhood in central Hebron, who were attacked by soldiers in their home on 31 July 2024

Testimony of Muhammad Rajabi

I live on al-Kasarah Street in the al-Hariqah neighborhood with my father, ‘Abd al-Hafiz, 57, my mother, Halah, 50, and my brother, 24, and two sisters, who are 16 and 9. My older brother is married and lives with his wife and children in the house across from ours. I dropped out of school two years ago, after falling down stairs and injuring myself. I’ve had two surgeries and had platinum implanted on the left side of my head.

The soldiers started hitting my mother and sister with their guns. They pushed them out of the room and locked the door from the inside

On 31 July 2024, around 9:30 P.M., while I was sitting at home, I heard from neighborhood residents that the army was raiding our street, which is all stairs, about 30 meters from our house. My brother’s wife asked me to close the main gate of the walkway to our house, because she was afraid soldiers would come in.

I went down the stairs of our house. When I got to the gate, I saw three soldiers in front of me, walking down the stairs on al-Kasarah Street. I tried to close the gate quickly, but a soldier managed to push it open with his foot. I ran home and they chased me, yelling at me to stop. I kept running until I got home and went into my brother’s room, where my 24-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister were.

The three soldiers chased me into the apartment and burst into the room. One of them grabbed me by the neck, choked me and lifted me in the air by the neck. The other two started beating my brother, while my sister tried to push them off him. At some point, my mother came into the room and tried to get me out of the soldiers’ hands, and then the soldiers started hitting my mother and sister with their guns. They pushed them out of the room and locked the door from the inside. The soldier who was holding me by the neck the whole time dropped me on the floor. The other two soldiers continued beating my brother with metal brass knuckles. The soldier who attacked me asked me who had set fire to Kiryat Arba. I told him I didn’t know and swore by Allah. The soldier said I was a liar, grabbed a baking pot that was in the room, and hit me on the head on and other parts of my body with it.

After several minutes of severe beating and cursing, the soldier hit me hard in the testicles with the barrel of his gun. I passed out and I don’t know what happened next

I heard my mother crying, shouting and banging on the door. I heard her telling the soldiers I’d had surgery and asking them not to hit me. After several minutes of severe beating and cursing, the soldier hit me hard in the testicles with the barrel of his gun. I passed out and I don’t know what happened next.

I woke up at Mohammad Ali Al Mohtaseb Hospital, with doctors giving me first aid. I had bruises all over my body and swelling in my head. I was later transferred to the Alia Governmental Hospital for a CT. In the morning, I was discharged and went home with my brothers.

Now, a week after the attack, I’m still suffering from headaches and dizziness. I have nightmares and can’t sleep at night. Every sound in the house terrifies me and I’m scared all the time. I can’t forget the moment the soldiers chased me, or the moment they closed the door and started brutally beating me and my brother.

Testimony of Halah Rajabi

On 31 July 2024, around 9:30 P.M., I was doing chores when my son Muhammad came running into the house, frightened and panting. He went into one of the rooms and three soldiers ran in after him. I followed the soldiers into the room and asked them what they wanted. They started attacking my two sons, with one of them grabbing Muhammad by the neck and lifting him in the air.

I followed the soldiers into the room and asked them what they wanted. They started attacking my two sons, with one of them grabbing Muhammad by the neck and lifting him in the air

I tried to get the soldiers away from my sons. I yelled at them, told them they’d both had surgery and begged them to stop beating them. My daughter tried to get the two soldiers away from her brothers, and they started hitting us both with their guns, pushed us out of the room and locked it from the inside with the key. Through the door, I heard the soldiers continuing to attack them. I knocked on the door, crying and screaming. Then I went out to the yard and called out to the neighbors for help. The soldiers kept on hitting my boys for more than five minutes. My younger daughter, who is nine, was very scared and ran to her uncle’s house across the street.

My eldest son, who was in his uncle’s house next door, heard my screams and came over. Then the soldiers came out of the room and attacked him, too. They led him to another room and started hitting him with their guns, and prevented me from entering the room. I went into the room my younger sons were in, to check on Muhammad. He was lying on the floor, motionless. I started shouting that the soldiers had killed him. My eldest son pushed the soldiers off him and managed to get to the room I was in. He managed to pick Muhammad up and ran out of the house, even though the soldiers tried to stop him. My other son, who was in the room with Muhammad, tried to follow him but passed out and fell down the stairs leading to the road. Some young guys picked him up and took him to the car my eldest son put Muhammad in, and they drove to the hospital.

I went into the room my younger sons were in, to check on Muhammad. He was lying on the floor, motionless. I started shouting that the soldiers had killed him

I tried to follow them, but the soldiers wouldn’t let me. They threw a stun grenade at the front door. I went inside and started crying. My eldest daughter, 16, was also crying and groaning in pain because a soldier beat her on the right arm with a gun.

The soldiers stayed in our area until 4:00 A.M. My sons spent the whole night at the Alia Governmental Hospital and only came back in the morning, with bruises on their faces and bodies. Muhammad is still suffering from pain in his testicles and from anxiety. He’s had trouble sleeping ever since the attack. He says he has nightmares about the soldiers chasing him and beating him.

The day after the attack, we found out the soldiers also smashed the windshield and side window in the car of my brother Yihya, 35, who lives next door.

I haven’t really recovered since then. It’s very difficult to stand there helplessly and listen to soldiers beat your children inside your own home.

* Testimonies given to B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari on 8 August 2024