A 16-year-old Palestinian-American was released from an Israeli prison last week, over nine months after being detained by the IDF and held without trial for allegedly throwing rocks at settlers in the West Bank.
“Words can’t describe the immense relief we have as a family right now,” Zeyad Kadur, the uncle of Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim, said in a statement following his release late last week.
Ibrahim, whose family splits their time between the West Bank and Tampa, Florida, was 15 when he was arrested by Israeli soldiers who entered his family’s home in a West Bank village near Ramallah in February.
His detention led members of Congress to call on the Trump administration last month to assist in his release from Israeli custody.
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Footage of Ibrahim’s release was shared across social media, showing the teenager hugging a relative, identified by Al Jazeera as Ibrahim’s father. Kadur said that “Israeli soldiers had no right to take Mohammed from us in the first place … For more than nine months, our family has been living a horrific and endless nightmare.”
“We couldn’t believe Mohammed was free until his parents wrapped their arms around him and felt him safe,” Kadur added.
What a moving reunion.
Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16 year old U.S. citizen, returned to his family in the West Bank today after 9 months in Israeli detention without trial.
According to the BBC, relatives said Ibrahim was taken to a hospital for treatment following his release. The Guardian reported that he suffered from double-digit weight loss and developed scabies while being held by Israel.
Approached for comment, the Israel Defense Forces did not provide any details regarding the circumstances of Ibrahim’s arrest.
The Israel Prison Service told Haaretz that it cannot provide information regarding Ibrahim’s incarceration, citing “privacy, security and legal constraints.”
However, the IPS stressed that all prisoners are held “in accordance with the law and applicable regulations. Medical care and living conditions are provided according to professional standards … in line with the guidelines of the Israeli Health Ministry.”
Regarding the allegations that Ibrahim lost considerable weight and developed scabies during his time in Israeli custody, the IPS said it is “not aware” of the claims. “To the best of our knowledge, no such incidents have occurred under IPS responsibility.”
Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley took to social media to celebrate Ibrahim’s release: “I was relieved to hear from his family today and to know that he’s safe and where he belongs – with his family,” Van Hollen wrote on X, along with a picture of Ibrahim after his release.
16-year-old American Mohammed Ibrahim has been released after over 9 months in an Israeli prison without trial.
I was relieved to hear from his family today and to know that he’s safe and where he belongs — with his family.
Israel has held 16-year-old American, Mohammed Ibrahim, without trial, for 9 months.
He has been denied contact with family & his health is deteriorating. He says he falsely confessed to throwing a rock after being beaten.
America needs to secure his release NOW.
Merkley said that Ibrahim’s release “makes my Thanksgiving” and that it “brings tears to my eyes. Literally.”
Both Van Hollen and Merkley were among the 23 Senators and House members who pressed the Trump administration last month to work for Ibrahim’s release.
This brings tears to my eyes. Literally.
Thank you everyone who has been advocating for Mohammed’s release.
This makes my Thanksgiving.
Let’s continue to seek the release of so many around the world unjustly detained. theguardian.com/world/2025/nov…
In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the lawmakers wrote of their “grave concern” about the detention of a “U.S. citizen from Florida who was reportedly blindfolded, handcuffed, and arrested.”
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They added: “While U.S. embassy officials have been able to conduct visits, Mohammed has been denied all other contact with the outside world and his family has not been able to contact him since his detention,” they added, noting the lawmakers met with his family in the West Bank.
Revealing details of her son’s arrest, Muna Ibrahim told NPR earlier this year that Israeli soldiers arrived at the family home at 3:30 A.M., subsequently blindfolding and handcuffing Mohammed before taking him away. “Since that day, I didn’t see my son. I didn’t hear his voice,” she said.
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Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet
Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet
Ibrahim is a cousin of Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet – a U.S. citizen who was allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank earlier this year.
According to the Musallet family, 21-year-old Saif was visiting the West Bank when he was beaten to death in July. Israeli settlers prevented paramedics from reaching him and he died before reaching the hospital, they said.
Speaking with Haaretz, a relative of Musallet described the tragic events in detail: “There were three settlers under the age of 18 who attacked us with batons. Then, a pickup truck arrived with more settlers – two of them in the back were armed with M16s and wearing army pants.”
Ben Samuels contributed to this report.