Bethlehem, occupied West Bank - Ahed Tamimi, a prominent 16-year-old Palestinian activist, has been detained during a pre-dawn raid on her home by the Israeli army and border police in the occupied West Bank.
Ahed's mother, Nariman, was also arrested on Tuesday afternoon during a visit to Ahed at an Israeli police station.
According to Ahed's father Bassem, the Tamimi family, who are well-known activists in the village of Nabi Saleh, woke up with a shock at about 3am to the noise of Israeli forces banging on their front door and screaming.
Bassem told Al Jazeera that he opened the door for the soldiers, who pushed him aside and trooped into the house.
They forced the family into one of the rooms as they went about rifling through the household contents, throwing clothes and possessions on the floor and leaving behind a mess.
The soldiers then informed the family that Ahed was being arrested, without giving any reasons.
"Nariman was hysterically crying and attempted to hug Ahed, but she was thrown to the ground by the soldiers," he said, referring to Ahed's mother.
Despite Ahed being a constant fixture at Nabi Saleh's protests, this is the first time she has been detained by Israeli forces.
Possessions confiscated
Ahed was handcuffed and led by the soldiers outside to an Israeli army jeep. The family was prevented from following her outside.
According to Bassem, at least 30 soldiers were involved in the raid and Ahed's arrest.
The soldiers confiscated the family's phones, computers and laptops. Bassem told Al Jazeera that his 14-year-old son had refused to give the soldiers his phone.
"Six soldiers pushed him down and violently took it from him," he said.
The family was left in shock following the raid.
Later in the afternoon, Nariman went to visit Ahed, who was being held at a police station near Jabaa village in the Jerusalem district of the West Bank, so that she could be present during the minor's interrogation.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, an Israeli nongovernmental organisation (NGO), a parent has the right to accompany their child during an interrogation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Before long, Bassem received a phone call from his lawyer saying that Nariman too had been arrested upon her arrival at the police station.
An Israeli police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment on the alleged arrest.
Manal Tamimi, Ahed's cousin, told Al Jazeera that clashes broke out in the village during Tuesday's raid, with Israeli forces shooting tear-gas canisters at homes in the village.
"I can't imagine how anyone can do this," Bassem said.
"At the end of the day I am a father. It is not easy to see soldiers raiding your home in the middle of the night to take away your daughter."
'Powerless to do anything'
The Tamimi family is no stranger to run-ins with the Israeli military establishment.
Bassem has been arrested numerous times by Israeli forces, and was termed a "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty International, the international rights-advocacy group, during one of his several stints in Israeli prison in 2012.
"I'm so angry. But I am powerless to do anything. This is occupation," said Bassem, feeling the pain of Tuesday's double blow.
"They want Palestinians to suffer."
Ahed's arrest came a day after a video of the teen confronting Israeli soldiers during protests in Nabi Saleh on Friday, over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, went viral.
Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
https://www.samaa.tv/weird/2017/12/israel-arrests-palestinian-girl/
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit