MAHMOUD is a 24 year old student from Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza strip. He is in his fifth year of mechanical engineering, even though he started his course six and one-half years ago. His studies had to be postponed for almost one year because he was stuck in Gaza.

Mahmoud tells a story about one time when the Israeli army invaded Birzeit village, and arrested him. He notes, "I was living in fear, and feeling threatened for two weeks before the attack. My friends and I used to stay up all night taking shifts watching the door in case something happened." On the 28th of March "something happened". Mahmoud got arrested while he was trying to study for an exam for the next day. He heard a commotion outside around 4:00 in the morning and knew immediately that the army had entered Birzeit village. Mahmoud reports that the first thought to cross his mind was, "OK, now I don't have to study for the test."

This idea quickly faded, however, as he started thinking of what might happen to him if the soldiers got him. Mahmoud decided to stay in the house, in an effort to delay the time when he might have to surrender to the army. When they finally burst into his house they rummaged through all his belongings. The soldiers focused in particular on his photo album which they found laying around in the room. They scrutinized every personal picture in it and questioned Mahmoud about who everybody was and if they had any political background.

Finally after what seemed like a century, Mahmoud was handcuffed and blindfolded, by sundown on the second day he had been "deported" to the Gaza strip.