How Israel dey send hundreds of Palestinians go prison witout charge

For one one family house for Bethlehem, for di occupied West Bank, Yazen Alhasnat bin dey sidon next to im mama as im dey rub sleep comot from im eyes.

Dem release di 17-year-old from prison di night before, nearly five months afta dem bin arrest am for one 4am Israeli military raid on dia house.

Yazen bin dey under "administrative detention" - one security policy wey don dey for long time now, wey dem inherit from di British.

Dis policy allow di kontri of Israel to put pipo for prison indefinitely witout charge, and witout presenting any evidence against dem.

"Dem get one secret file," Yazen say. "Dem no go eva tell you wetin dey inside."

Im go back home becos im follow among di 180 Palestinian children and women wey Israel release from prison for di recent exchange for hostages wey bin dey Hamas hand for Gaza.

But at di same time wey dem bin dey release di Palestinian prisoners, Israel bin dey detain pipo at di highest rate wey dem don eva for some years now.

All di weeks since 7 October, di number of ppo wey dey administrative detention - wey already dey 30-year high of 1,300 - don jump up to more dan 2,800.

Wen dem release Yazen, dem tell im family make dem no celebrate for public in any way or to tok to di media.

Dem bin give di same instruction to di families of two oda teenagers wey speak to BBC about dia experiences.

But all three families say dem want di world to know about di issue of administrative detention.

Israel say di way wey dem dey use di policy na according to international law and na necessary preventative measure to combat terrorism.

Maurice Hirsch, na former director of military prosecutions for West Bank, from 2013 to 2016, im tell BBC say Israel "no only dey meet di international law but dem dey do am beta by far", by allowing pipo wey dem detain to appeal and make sure say dem review dia detention every six months.

But human rights groups say Israel ova use of di measure na abuse of security law wey di design no be for di purpose or to di extent wey di kontri dey use am.

Dem add say di pipo wey dem detain no fit effectively defend demsef, or appeal, becos dem no get access to di evidence against dem.

"Under international law, administrative detention suppose be rare exception," Jessica Montell, di executive director of HaMoked, one Israeli human rights organisation wey dey monitor detention of Palestinians, tok.

"You suppose use am wen danger dey face you and e no get any oda way to prevent dat danger dan to detain dat pesin. But e clear say Israel no dey use am dat way. Dem dey detain hundreds, thousands of pipo witout charge, and dem dey use administrative detention to protect demsef from scrutiny."

Palestinians don dey dey under administrative detention for dis region since 1945, first under di British Mandate and den for di Occupied Palestinian Territory.

For some kain rare occasion, dem don use di law against Israeli settlers, but mainly dem dey use am to detain West Bank Palestinians, including children.

Pipo wey dey administrative detention dey get opportunity to defend dia case – for one military court, in front of one Israeli military judge - but di kontri no need to tell di detainees or dia lawyer about any evidence wey dem get.

Di detainees fit get sentence to chill for prison for up to six months. But di military court fit extend di six months indefinitely, meaning say administrative detainees no get any real idea at all how long dem go dey prison.

"Wetin go really worry you na di uncertainty," Yazen tok as im dey sit for im living room. "You go finish your six months and leave? Or you go get extended for one year, for two years?"

Detainees fit do appeal, all di way up to Israel Supreme Court, but wit no access to di evidence against dem, dem no get anytin to base am on.

Palestinians wey dem bin first try for military courts get more access to evidence, but di courts dey boast like roughly 99% conviction rate.

"Defending Palestinians for military courts na almost impossible work," Jerusalem-based defence lawyer Maher Hanna tok.

"Di entire system dey designed to limit any Palestine pesin capacity to defend imsef. E dey put harsh controls on di defence and give goment lawyer freedom from proving any tin or relief from burden of proof."

Israel use of di policy for West Bank don "cross all lines - red, green, evri colour", Yazen mama, Sadiah say.

"We dey live under parallel system of justice."

Wen dem detain 16 years old Osama Marmesh, dem pull am from di street enta one motor wey no get any mark, im say.

So for di first 48 hours of Osama detention, im papa Naif bin no get idea wia im dey. "You call everyone wey you sabi to ask am if dem help you see your son," Naif tok. "You no go sleep."

Osama ask dem many times during im arrest for di charges against am, e tok, but each time dem tell am to "shut up".

Wen 17 years old Musa Aloridat chop arrest, for one 5am raid for dia family home, Israeli forces pull di bedroom wey im dey share wit im two younger brodas down come fire bullet enta di wardrobe, smashing di glass, im tok.

"Dem carry am away for im underwear," Musa papa Muhannad tok as im hold up one foto for im fone. "For three days we no know anytin."

Dem no show Yazen, Osama nor Musa, dia parents or lawyers, any evidence against dem during dia months of detention.

Wen Israel publish lists of detainees wey dem go release for di recent exchanges, for column wia dem suppose put charges, against Yazen, Osama and Musa names dem write one line wey no make sense, "Threat to di security of di area".

Anoda version fo di list say Yazen and Musa bin dey under suspicion say dem get connect wit Palestinian militant groups.

Wen dem release Osama, dem give one brief charge sheet wey say on two occasions, months earlier, im throw stone, "half di size of im palm", towards Israeli security positions.

Maurice Hirsch, di former director of military prosecutions, say e go dey wrong to draw any conclusions from di limited information available. "E get veri big difference between di evidence wey dey available openly against dis terrorists and wetin intelligence information carry," e tok.

"We see dem dey use administrative detention by Americans for Guantanamo, so we know say dis measure dey internationally recognised and accepted," e add. "And since dis na internationally accepted measure, why e go be say na only Israel dey prevented from using am, wen we dey deal wit probably di highest terror threat wey anyone don eva see?"

For di end, Yazen, Osama and Musa spend between four and seven months for prison.

All three say di conditions bin dey relatively comfortable until di Hamas attack on 7 October, wen dem remove dia bedsheets, blankets, extra clothes and most of dia food rations, and dem cut off all communication wit di outside world, for wetin dem describe as collective punishment for di attack.

Oda detainees allege say dem collect beating, tear gas, and dem even send dogs follow dem.

Israeli Prison Service confam say dem bin put di prison for emergency mode and "reduce di living conditions of di security prisoners" in response to Hamas attack.

Yazen, Osama and Musa get early release, sake of di exchange for Israeli hostages bin make women and children priority.

But, according to di most recent numbers from di prison service, dem still get 2,873 pipo wey dem hold for administrative detention for Israeli jails.

Di day afta im go house, Musa go back to im room, wia Israeli military from grab am from im bed four months earlier.

Di wardrobe doors, wey bullet smash, dem don remove am to replace am wit anoda, im parents don carefully put di room togeda.

Musa bin dey expect say im go stay longer for prison, im tok.

Im lawyer bin tell am say e get 90% chance say dem go extend im detention.

All three boys say dem wan try finish school. But living under constant threat say dem fit lock dem up anytime again na one "kain of psychological detention", Musa tok.

"Dem release us into bigger prison", Yazen say.

"Peace no dey," Yazen mama tok as she dey look her pikin wia im stand for corner. "Dem fit take you any time."

Muath al-Khatib contribute to dis report. Photographs by Joel Gunter.