'I thought I might die': A Palestinian mother's account of Israeli detention

'I thought I might die': A Palestinian mother's account of Israeli detention Submitted by Ahmed Dremly on Sat, 04/18/2026 - 13:48 Detained while fleeing northern Gaza, Saeda al-Shrafi recalls weeks of interrogation, torture and imprisonment that changed her life, as Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is marked Israeli forces tortured Saeda al-Shrafi, a Palestinian mother of two, during a six-week detention in 2023 in which she was held without charge or trial (MEE/Ahmed Dremly) Off Each night, Saeda al-Shrafi feels as though she is back in the cell: boots in the corridor, a headcount barked in the dark, the cold of Damon prison seeping into her bones. Even now in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian mother says she cannot leave that world behind. Detained during the mass displacement from northern Gaza in late 2023, Shrafi was among hundreds stopped at Israeli military checkpoints as civilians were ordered south.