Palestinian-American Adolescent Freed Following Nine-Month Period in Israeli Detention
Zaher Ibrahim
A Palestinian-American teenager who spent nine months in Israel's custody absent formal charges gained freedom.
Mohammed Ibrahim was 15 during his detention in February in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, during a family visit while residing in Florida for allegedly throwing stones against settlement residents, claims he consistently denied.
The US state department expressed satisfaction with the news of Mohammed's release.
Currently aged sixteen, was taken to hospital upon gaining freedom, family members reported.
According to them, he appears pale, underweight, and experiencing medical problems contracted in captivity.
Via family representatives, Mohammed's uncle expressed the family's "immense relief".
The uncle, Zeyad Kadur said the family had been "enduring a dreadful, continuous nightmare" throughout the past nine months.
"Right now, our priority is ensuring Mohammed receives urgent medical care he needs after experiencing mistreatment by authorities and inhumane conditions for months."
American authorities stated they would maintain to provide consular support to Mohammed's family.
{"The Trump Administration gives utmost importance to ensuring the safety of US citizens"," the department emphasized.
Twenty-seven US lawmakers submitted a formal letter to the state department and the administration, requesting additional efforts to secure his release.
Mr Ibrahim, parent of four children who runs an ice cream business in Florida, previously claimed his son only confessed about rock throwing due to physical abuse.
The father hadn't visited nor direct contact following the detention, receiving updates exclusively about his son's condition in detention through court documents.
Mohammed was held without charge at Ofer detention facility on the West Bank.
Additionally housing adult prisoners, some of whom have been convicted for major terrorist activities including killings.
There are around 350 Palestinian minors in security custody detained within Israeli facilities, per correctional service statistics.
Many have never been charged and human rights groups, including UN bodies, document cases involving mistreatment and torture.
Following Mohammed's release, the uncle stated the family would also continue fighting seeking justice for their relative family member Sayfollah.
The 20-year-old dual US citizen per medical officials succumbed to assault by settlement residents amid clashes last July.
Initially, the Israeli military said authorities were looking into reports a Palestinian civilian was deceased.
The two cousins were employed together within the family's frozen treats establishment in Tampa, Florida.
No charges have been filed regarding Sayfollah's death.
"We demand the American government to ensure our family's safety," family representatives emphasized.