The 16-year-old has been detained by Israel for nearly 8 months, and his family doesn’t know if he’s still alive.
TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay family is desperately waiting for their teen son to come home after thousands of Palestinians who were being jailed in Israel were released.
Mohammad Ibrahim, 16, was taken from the family’s home in the West Bank, accused of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers but not formally charged with any crime.
“At four in the morning, 25 soldiers came into the house, blindfolded him and dragged him out of his bedroom,” said Ibrahim’s cousin, Siad Khader.
Ibrahim’s uncle, Zayed Kadur, said he’s being held in administrative detention, which can keep inmates in custody for six months or longer without a court hearing.
“We believe that Mohammed should have been one of the first people released today,” Kadur said. “He’s an American. He’s a child. He’s a minor. In three days, he’d be there for eight months.”
His family said he was in the West Bank visiting family for Muslim holidays in February and March when he was detained.
“He’s lost over 25 pounds,” said CAIR deputy executive director Hiba Rahim in August. “That’s almost 25% of his body weight. He’s contracted scabies. He’s not been able to connect with his family. His situation is dire, and we’re calling for his release.”
As more than 1,000 Palestinians held without charges are being set free as part of the new ceasefire, Mohammad’s family hopes he’ll be included because he’s a U.S. citizen.
“As an uncle, it’s rough. As a father, it’s a lot harder,” he added. “As a Palestinian, it’s just another Monday. And that’s the truth.”
Palestinian American advocates in Tampa Bay have been let down before with ceasefires that didn’t hold. They’re hoping this one will be different.
“This really hits us close to home,” said Palestinian-American Lama Alhasan, an organizer with Bay Area Dream Defenders. “We need to make sure we give Gaza the opportunity to actually rebuild because that’s what actually deserves to happen.”
Jewish Americans are grateful that all the living hostages are heading home and think the terms of this ceasefire are different and more likely to last.
“We’ve had our flag at half-mast for two years, the Israeli flag, and tomorrow we’re going to raise it to full mast,” said Shep Englander, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. “If you have a normal government in Gaza, then there’s hope, there’s hope for quiet, for the ceasefire to last and eventually for coexistence and some kind of peace.”
Peace for Mohammad Ibrahim’s family will come when they see him alive again. Mohammad Ibrahim isn’t the only Palestinian American in his family to be targeted in the West Bank.
Saif Mussalet, 20, was Mohammad’s first cousin, also from Tampa, and was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July. Their family tells us Ibrahim and Mussalet were going to be roommates this summer and work in the family’s ice cream shop near Tampa Palms.