A Palestinian American teenager held by Israeli authorities for nine months has been freed, ending a prolonged detention that had drawn mounting pressure from US legislators and civil rights groups.
Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, from Florida, appeared thin, pale and wearing a grey prison jumpsuit in videos filmed by his family shortly after his release on Thursday.
He wiped away tears as his father, Zaher Ibrahim, kissed him and broke down crying. Family members said Mohammed had signs of untreated scabies and lost significant weight while in custody.
“Words can’t describe the immense relief we have as a family right now, to have Mohammed in his parents’ arms,” said Zeyad Kadur, a family friend.
He said the family “has been living a horrific and endless nightmare” since the teenager’s arrest.
“Israeli soldiers had no right to take Mohammed from us in the first place,” he added.
Israeli forces arrested Mohammed during a night raid on his family’s home in the town of Al Mazraa Ash Sharqiya, near Ramallah, accusing him of throwing stones at Israeli settlers.
In an affidavit, Mohammed said he confessed to stone-throwing only after interrogators threatened him with physical violence.
His lawyers and relatives said he was held for months in harsh conditions, first at Megiddo prison and later in Ofer prison, where rights groups have long documented abuses against Palestinian minors.
His treatment prompted more than 100 US civil rights, faith-based and human rights organisations in August to urge President Donald Trump's administration to intervene, citing concerns about Mohammed's deteriorating health.
“Mohammed’s health is dire,” they wrote in a letter, saying he had lost 14kg and had been denied adequate food and medical care.
The letter argued that “it is the responsibility of the US government to protect all American children, including Palestinian Americans".
Twenty-seven Democratic legislators, including senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, also wrote last month to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing “grave concern” over the teenager’s treatment and pressing Washington to
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