American-Palestinian Adolescent Freed Following Nine-Month Period in Israeli Detention
Zaher Ibrahim
A Palestinian-American youth who spent nine months in Israeli detention without being charged was released.
Mohammed Ibrahim was fifteen years old at the time of his arrest last February throughout the West Bank territory, where he was visiting from his Florida home under suspicion of rock throwing against settlement residents, allegations he repeatedly contested.
The US state department applauded the news of Mohammed's release.
Mohammed, now 16, needed medical care upon gaining freedom, family members reported.
Family described him as pale, underweight, and experiencing medical problems contracted in captivity.
Through an official statement, Mohammed's uncle conveyed their "overwhelming sense of relief".
Family member Zeyad Kadur described how relatives endured "surviving a terrible, unending nightmare" throughout the past nine months.
"At this moment, our priority is ensuring Mohammed receives urgent medical care he needs following exposure to mistreatment by authorities and inhumane conditions over several months."
US officials announced ongoing to extend consular services for the Ibrahim family.
{"US government authorities has no higher priority to the protection and welfare of American nationals"," the department emphasized.
Twenty-seven US lawmakers endorsed a document to diplomatic officials and the White House, urging greater action for his freedom.
The father, a father-of-four managing a frozen treats business in Florida, had earlier stated his son only confessed to throwing stones because the soldiers beat him.
The father hadn't visited or communicated with his son since the arrest, receiving updates exclusively regarding the treatment through judicial records.
The teenager remained absent formal charges in Ofer prison in the West Bank.
It is also home to adult prisoners, featuring prisoners sentenced of serious terrorism offences and murder.
An estimated several hundred young Palestinian detainees currently imprisoned in Israel, per correctional service statistics.
Several lack formal charges and human rights groups, and international organizations, document cases involving physical abuse and torture.
Subsequent to his liberation, Mr Kadur said relatives would persist in advocating for justice for his cousin family member Sayfollah.
The dual national youth per medical officials was beaten to death by Israeli settlers amid clashes last July.
During that period, defense forces stated officials were investigating reports a Palestinian civilian had died.
The two cousins had worked together within the family's frozen treats establishment from Tampa.
No one has been charged for the cousin's murder.
"We expect the American government to ensure our family's safety," family representatives emphasized.
