After about nine months in an Israeli prison, aPalestinian-American teen from Palm Bay, Florida was releasedon Thanksgiving Day.
Mohammed Zahar Ibrahim, 16, was accused of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers and had been held without trial since February, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said. While in prison, he faced starvation, torture and abuse,CAIRsaid in a Nov. 27 statement, calling on the U.S. government to "hold Israeli authorities accountable."
"(Mohammed's) homecoming is a blessing, but it does not erase the torture and suffering he endured," said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw in a statement sent to media. "The U.S. government has a responsibility to investigate Israel's abuse of an American citizen and ensure that no other child — American or Palestinian — is subjected to the same treatment."
Teen embraces father upon release
On Thanksgiving Day, Mohammed was released from Ofer Prison in the West Bank, according toCAIR-Florida. Videos posted to Instagram show him embracing his father on a sidewalk after his release. His family members, who are Palestinian, split their time between Palm Bay and a home in Silwad, an Arab village in the West Bank, according to relatives.
Mohammed was initially arrested in February, when Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director of CAIR-Florida, said he was "snatched from his home at 3 a.m."
Initially, he was placed at Megiddo Prison, one of several Israeli detention centers that house Palestinians. These facilities have drawn concern from human rights groups due to reports of abuse and torture inflicted upon inmates.
See the historic moment Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners are released
Following his initial arrest, Mohammed was moved to Ofer Prison, located north of Jerusalem.
During the summer, Mohammed's family and CAIR began urging U.S. officials to secure his release from prison, drawing support from dozens of human rights and faith organizations.
His arrest came amid aconflict between Israel and Hamasthat has lasted more than two years, beginning on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas' incursion into the southern part of Israel left about 1,200 people dead, with Hamas taking about 251 people hostage. Since then, all but two hostageshave been returned, 168 of whom were alive.
More than 70,000 Palestinians have died according to Gaza's health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The conflict has been declared a genocide in Gaza by numerous international bodies, human rights organizations and genocide scholars,such as the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Prison condition concerns remain
In August, Mohammed's family and CAIR raised concerns about his condition, with Rahim telling FLORIDA TODAY, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the teen had lost about a quarter of his weight and had been diagnosed with scabies.
Since then, in a sworn statement that CAIR-Florida shared with members of Congress, Mohammed detailed being beaten with rifle butts, starved, denied medical care and "threatened by masked interrogators who coerced him into a false confession under fear of further violence," according to CAIR officials.
"Mohamed should have spent this year studying for his learner's permit and enjoying time with his family — not locked in a military prison, beaten, starved, and terrified," CAIR-Florida said in a statement. "His release is cause for celebration, but it must also be a turning point. The U.S. cannot continue providing unchecked support to a government that tortures American children."
Both Mohammed's father and CAIR denied the claims that the teen threw rocks at Israeli settlers, with Mohammed's father saying that about two dozen armed Israeli authorities raided the home where the teen was staying in the middle of the night and took him away "blindfolded and handcuffed."
Another youth, a 17-year-old, was arrested in April after facing similar accusations, according to Israeli officials. The teen collapsed and died at Ofer Prison.
And in July, Mohammed's first cousin, Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Tampa man with dual citizenship in Palestine, was beaten to death by Israelis while protesting the building of an Israeli community in the West Bank, according to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker atfwalker@floridatoday.com. X:@_finchwalker. Instagram:@finchwalker_.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today:Palestinian-American teen from Florida released from Israeli prison