"The Carnation and the Thorn" – Yahya Sinwar (story, part 18)

My mother shouted at them, "What do you want ?! . What do you need..?! What do you want from us?!" One of the officers approached my brother and started asking questions:

- Are you Mahmud?

- Yes, I am Mahmoud!

"We need to go to court with you. We 'll just have a little chat."

My mother began to shout:

"What do you want?! He just came from Egypt, right?"

- They're calling me for an interview at the courthouse. I'll be back in the morning.

The officers told my brother Mahmud to come with them , and even though my brother said he wanted to change his clothes and leave, they took him away without saying a word. My mother wanted to go with her, but they blocked her path and closed the door themselves. The sound of cars outside could be heard until they left the neighborhood. We didn't sleep that night. My mother cried all night. The saltiness was crushing her insides:

"I didn't even let the poor thing taste my happiness. "

My sister Fatima and my brother Hasan : "They said they'll ask a few questions, then he'll come home in the morning , " they tried to comfort my mother.

- Oh.. . Question.. . How many more questions do you have ? .. Couldn't they have sent me a summons and asked me this question during the day ? .. Without breaking my heart.. . How many more questions do you have? .. Oh my God. .. May my soul rest in peace! Oh . .. Mahmud, Mahmud. .. What have you done? What have you done , my dear? ..

We spent the night like this. As soon as the morning came, the quarantine period was over, my mother took my brother Hasan and set off for the courthouse. When she got there and tried to enter, the guards at the door wouldn't let her in. My mother tried to explain what had happened. But since they didn't understand Arabic, they could only say, "Ruh min hon," in a memorized phrase . They would just say, "Get out of here!" Seeing the embarrassing situation, Hasan akam convinced my mother that she didn't understand, that the officers wouldn't let her in anyway, and that it would be a good idea for them to wait for Mahmud akam across the road for her to wake up. The two of them sat in front of the courthouse door, and Mahmud akam didn't come out even after hours had passed. Every time my mother, who was exhausted , tried to go in again, Hasan akam would push her away and convince her to wait. We stayed at home, waiting for my mother and Hasan akam to come in, accompanied by Mahmud akam. That evening, my mother and Hasan akam dragged their feet and came in with sad faces. I had never seen my mother in such a difficult situation before . They came in with such intense sadness that there was no room for questions. We couldn't even say goodbye. We would lie in silence, our blankets pulled up to half our faces. My brother Hasan came and sat next to my mother and comforted her by talking about the plan for the next day:

-God willing , I will send a lawyer tomorrow. I will also inform the Red Cross about this case.

My mother agreed , saying she would go with me.

Early in the morning, they went out again to carry out their planned work. They also informed the Red Cross organization, with the help of a lawyer. After many trips, we realized that there was no choice but to wait. We did not receive any information for a month. We had to wait, wait, and wait some more. The dark days at the beginning were very difficult. We Gazans have become accustomed to adapting to any disaster, no matter how big it is. If we were patient at first , we would adapt just like we had in previous disasters. After this incident, all our plans went up in smoke. My brother Hassan continued his trade, and my brother Muhammad and I continued our cleaning jobs at my uncle's company. Every other day, my mother would take my brother Hassan and go to the Red Cross Foundation and ask if there was any news from my brother Mahmud. After a month of promises like this week, next week, ten days later, our lawyer finally said that Mahmud's case would be sent to court. He tried to calm us down by saying that the charges against him were not as serious as we feared. We knew that if we waited another two or three weeks, the case would be resolved in one direction. Two weeks later , Mahmud was sent to court, where the case was extended for another two months.

Two more weeks passed , The Red Cross said that we can meet with my brother Mahmoud once a month in the prison in central Gaza. Starting next month - We can go to visit him early on Friday morning.

My brother Hasan had just finished the eleventh grade. Since our family circumstances did not allow us to send him abroad, he agreed to enter the " Industry " college of the charitable organization. Thus, he was accepted to the "Locksmithing" department. He was supposed to start studying at the beginning of this year. If he had time, he would have graduated in two years with a " Industry " diploma.

To be continued...