For Palestinians arrested under Israeli occupation, a childhood disrupted
By Henriette Chacar
JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Fourteen-year-old Abdelrahman al-Zaghal was one of the youngest Palestinians released by Israel in exchange for hostages seized during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led raid on Israel.
Weeks later, his life still bears little resemblance to that of a normal teenager — he is recovering from serious injuries sustained the day of his arrest, and said his school is still awaiting Israel's permission for him to attend.
He was shot in August, when he said he left home to buy bread, only to wake up cuffed to a hospital bed, flanked by two police officers and with bullet wounds to the head and pelvis.
Israel charged Zaghal with hurling a petrol bomb, which he denies. His mother Najah said he was shot by a man guarding a Jewish settlement near their home in East Jerusalem.
A police statement released the night Zaghal was shot said Border Police officers shot at and critically wounded an unnamed teen after they sensed their lives were in danger.
As a Jerusalem resident, Zaghal's case went to an Israeli civil court. The judge ordered him placed under house arrest, but outside his neighbourhood, until the end of his trial.
The day of his release, Zaghal said he jumped for joy. But the celebrations were muted as he was about to undergo surgery for brain damage caused by the shooting, his mother said.
Among the 240 Palestinians released by Israel during a November pause in the Gaza war, Zaghal is one of 104 under the age of 18. In exchange, Hamas released 110 women, children and foreigners abducted on Oct. 7.
More than half the Palestinians released as part of the deal were detained without charge, Israel's records showed.
Since 2000, the Israeli military has detained some 13,000 Palestinian
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