Palestinian-American Adolescent Released Following Nine-Month Period in Israeli Imprisonment
Zaher Ibrahim
A American-Palestinian teenager who spent 270 days in Israel's custody without being charged gained freedom.
The teenager Mohammed Ibrahim had just turned 15 at the time of his arrest this past winter throughout the West Bank territory, while he was vacationing on holiday from Florida accused of stone-throwing toward Israeli settlers, which he previously denied.
The US state department said it welcomed Mohammed's liberation.
Mohammed, now 16, was taken to hospital for treatment immediately after release, family members reported.
They said he is visibly pale and thin, and is suffering from conditions contracted in captivity.
In a statement, family spokesperson expressed the family's "overwhelming sense of relief".
The uncle, Zeyad Kadur said the family had been "enduring a dreadful, continuous nightmare" throughout the past nine months.
"At this moment, our priority is providing Mohammed with the immediate medical attention necessary for his recovery following exposure to mistreatment by authorities and brutal treatment over several months."
American authorities announced ongoing to offer diplomatic assistance to the teenager's relatives.
{"The Trump Administration considers paramount to ensuring the safety of American nationals"," it added.
Twenty-seven US lawmakers submitted a formal letter to the state department and the administration, urging greater action to secure his release.
Mr Ibrahim, with four children who runs an ice cream business in Florida, previously said his son only confessed to throwing stones because the soldiers beat him.
He had not seen nor direct contact since the arrest, receiving updates exclusively about his son's condition via legal paperwork.
He stayed absent formal charges in Ofer prison in the West Bank.
It is also home to adult prisoners, featuring prisoners sentenced regarding severe security violations and murder.
Approximately 350 Palestinian minors in security custody currently imprisoned in Israel, per correctional service statistics.
Many have never been charged and human rights groups, and international organizations, say some have suffered abuse and torture.
After the teenager's freedom, family representatives announced the family would also continue fighting seeking justice for their relative their cousin Sayfollah.
The dual national youth who the Palestinian health ministry said succumbed to assault by radical settlers amid clashes in July.
At the time, defense forces stated they were examining accounts of a Palestinian had been killed.
The two cousins collaborated in the family ice cream shop based in Florida.
No charges have been filed regarding Sayfollah's death.
"We expect US authorities to safeguard our relatives," Mr Kadur said.
