Palestinian-American Teenager Liberated Following 270 Days in Israeli Detention
Zaher Ibrahim
A American-Palestinian adolescent having endured nine months in Israeli detention absent formal charges has been freed.
Mohammed Ibrahim had just turned 15 during his detention in February in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while he was vacationing on holiday from Florida under suspicion of rock throwing against settlement residents, which he previously denied.
United States authorities expressed satisfaction with Mohammed's liberation.
Mohammed, now 16, needed medical care upon gaining freedom, according to close relatives.
Family described him as visibly pale and thin, while battling health issues acquired while detained.
Through an official statement, the youth's uncle conveyed their "overwhelming sense of relief".
The uncle, Zeyad Kadur said the family had been "surviving a terrible, unending nightmare" over the last nine months.
"Right now, we're concentrating on getting Mohammed urgent medical care he needs following exposure to Israel's abuse and cruel circumstances for months."
The state department said it would continue to extend consular services for the Ibrahim family.
{"The Trump Administration has no higher priority to the protection and welfare for United States citizens"," the department emphasized.
A group of American legislators submitted a formal letter to the state department and the administration, urging greater action to release him.
The father, parent of four children who runs an ice cream business based in Tampa, had earlier stated Mohammed acknowledged allegations to throwing stones after being assaulted by soldiers.
He had not seen or spoken to Mohammed following the detention, receiving updates exclusively regarding the treatment in detention through court documents.
The teenager remained without charge in Ofer prison in the West Bank.
It is also home to mature inmates, featuring prisoners sentenced regarding severe security violations including killings.
There are around several hundred young Palestinian detainees currently imprisoned in Israel, based on prison authority data.
Several lack formal charges along with monitoring agencies, including UN bodies, report instances of physical abuse and torture.
Following Mohammed's release, the uncle stated relatives would persist in advocating for justice for his cousin their cousin Sayfollah.
The 20-year-old dual US citizen per medical officials died from beating by Israeli settlers amid clashes during summer.
At the time, defense forces stated officials were investigating reports a Palestinian civilian was deceased.
Both young men had worked together in the family ice cream shop from Tampa.
No indictments occurred regarding Sayfollah's death.
"We demand United States leadership to protect our families," family representatives emphasized.