American Teenager Freed After Nine Months in Israeli Military Detention 

Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida, was freed from an Israeli prison after nine months of detention that began with a nighttime raid on his West Bank home when he was just 15 years old. His release followed a guilty plea to stone-throwing charges and mounting international pressure, but he returned to his family severely underweight, having lost a quarter of his body weight, and suffering from medical conditions like scabies contracted during his detention, which was marked by insufficient food and poor conditions.

His case, which drew attention from over 100 U.S. human rights groups and 27 Democratic members of Congress, highlights a broader systemic issue, as Israel remains the only country that systematically prosecutes children in military courts, with hundreds of other Palestinian children currently facing similar detention and treatment.

American Teenager Freed After Nine Months in Israeli Military Detention 

Mohammed Ibrahim’s case reveals troubling realities about military justice and the treatment of Palestinian child detainees 

On November 27, 2025, Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida, was finally released from an Israeli prison after nine months of detention that began when he was just 15 years old. His case, which attracted significant attention from U.S. lawmakers and human rights organizations, highlights ongoing concerns about Israel’s military justice system and its treatment of Palestinian child detainents. 

The Night Raid That Changed Everything 

Mohammed Ibrahim’s ordeal began in February 2025, when Israeli soldiers conducted a nighttime raid on his family’s West Bank home in al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya. According to multiple accounts, the soldiers awakened the teenager around 3:30 AM, blindfolded him, handcuffed him, and took him away without allowing his parents to see or speak with him. For nearly nine months, his parents would have no direct contact with their son, receiving updates only through U.S. embassy officials. 

The Israeli military accused Ibrahim of throwing stones at moving vehicles, charges that could have carried a sentence of up to 20 years under special West Bank security provisions implemented after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks. Though Ibrahim admitted during interrogation to throwing a stone near a road, he maintained that he didn’t hit anything or attempt to do so. His family and legal advocates claimed his confession was obtained under duress, with his father stating that “his son only confessed to throwing stones because the soldiers beat him”. 

Deteriorating Health and Detention Conditions 

Upon his release, Ibrahim was immediately taken to a hospital for intravenous therapy and blood work. His relatives reported that he was “pale, underweight and is suffering from conditions contracted in captivity”. More specifically, he had lost a quarter of his body weight during his detention and was still suffering from scabies he had contracted while in custody. 

In an October interview with Defense for Children International-Palestine, Ibrahim described receiving “extremely insufficient” meals, with breakfast consisting of “just three tiny pieces of bread and a spoonful of yogurt” and no dinner provided whatsoever. His father reported that freed prisoners and U.S. consular officials had warned him about his son’s deteriorating condition, including scabies that began on one foot and spread throughout his body. 

Building Pressure for Release 

Ibrahim’s case gradually gained attention through several concerning developments: 

• Congressional Action: In October 2025, 27 Democratic members of Congress—including prominent senators like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren—signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing “grave concern” over Ibrahim’s treatment and demanding action to secure his release. The lawmakers cited his “alarming weight loss, deteriorating health, and signs of torture”. 

• Human Rights Advocacy: More than 100 U.S. human rights, faith-based, and civil rights organizations demanded his immediate release in August 2025. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida chapter stated that Mohammed “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”. 

• Family Tragedy: The case gained additional attention when Ibrahim’s 20-year-old cousin, Sayfollah Musallet, also a U.S. citizen, was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July 2025. No arrests have been made in connection with Musallet’s killing, though U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee called it a “criminal and terrorist act” and demanded Israel “aggressively investigate the murder”. 

The U.S. State Department eventually appointed a dedicated official to handle Ibrahim’s case in September 2025, and stated they were “tracking Mr. Ibrahim’s case closely and working with the government of Israel”. 

A Pattern of Treatment Toward Palestinian Child Detainees 

Troublingly, Mohammed Ibrahim’s experience appears to reflect broader systemic issues rather than an isolated incident. Several key facts underscore this pattern: 

Table: Palestinian Child Detainees in Israeli Military System 

Systematic Challenges in Military Detention 

Several organizations have documented concerning patterns in Israel’s treatment of Palestinian child detainees: 

• Violence and Abuse: Save the Children reported in February 2024 that “levels of violence have increased since stricter rules were introduced in October blocking visits from parents or lawyers”. The organization noted that some released children had reported broken bones and beatings, with one incident where “Israeli forces made children hold an Israeli flag before ordering them back to their cells hunched over, beating and cursing them as they walked”. 

• Legal Disparities: Human Rights Watch has documented that “Palestinian children may be detained for longer periods before being brought before a judge, treated as adults at a younger age, and denied the right to have a parent present during questioning”. Additionally, Israeli military courts in the West Bank denied bail in 72% of cases involving Palestinian children, compared to only 17.9% of cases involving Israeli children in civil courts. 

• Inadequate Nutrition and Medical Care: The descriptions of Ibrahim’s meals align with other accounts of detained children receiving insufficient food. The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has reported that conditions for children in prisons “have significantly deteriorated, with children who used to be housed with five detainees now sharing rooms with about 10 other detainees including adults, putting them at risk”. 

International Response and Legal Context 

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded a review of Israel’s report in September 2024, during which Committee Expert Bragi Gudbrandsson noted that “children had consistently comprised around 40 per cent of the total fatalities in Gaza since 7 October”. The Committee also highlighted difficulties in comprehending Israel’s statements about respecting international humanitarian law “in light of the over 40,000 civilian deaths in Gaza, including more than 17,000 children”. 

Israel maintains that its military operations “were committed to the fundamental principles of the law of armed conflict, including distinction, proportionality and precaution”. The delegation argued that “Hamas purposely sought to drag fighting into the civilian domain, as part of their strategy to ensure the international community condemned Israel”. 

However, human rights organizations have consistently raised concerns about Israel’s compliance with international standards. A 2022 Human Rights Watch submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child stated that “Israeli security forces routinely interrogate children without a guardian or lawyer present, use unnecessary force against children during arrest, which often takes place in the middle of the night, and physically abuse them in custody”. 

The Road to Recovery and Ongoing Challenges 

Following his release, Mohammed Ibrahim’s family expressed their “immense relief” but emphasized their focus on his recovery. His uncle, Zeyad Kadur, stated: “Right now, we are focused on getting Mohammed the immediate medical attention he needs after being subjected to Israel’s abuse and inhumane conditions for months. We just want Mohammed to be healthy and to have his childhood back”. 

The family also highlighted that countless other Palestinian children remain in similar circumstances. Kadur stressed: “There are hundreds of children like Mohammed, unjustly trapped in an Israeli military prison, being subjected to Israel’s abuse and torture. No mother, father, parent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or child should ever have to go through what Mohammed just went through”. 

The emotional toll on the family was compounded by the fact that Ibrahim’s mother, Muna, had kept “a box of chocolates on Mohammed’s bed, where he hasn’t slept in nearly nine months—as a welcome home gift”. She also faced the difficult task of informing him about the killing of his cousin, Sayfollah Musallet, while he had been imprisoned. 

Broader Implications and the Path Forward 

Mohammed Ibrahim’s case raises significant questions about: 

• Consular Protection: The role of the U.S. government in protecting its citizens detained abroad, particularly when allied nations are involved. 

• Military Justice Systems: The appropriateness of trying children in military courts rather than civilian judicial systems focused on rehabilitation. 

• International Compliance: Whether current practices align with international standards for juvenile justice, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

• Transparency and Accountability: The need for greater transparency in military detention systems and accountability for alleged abuses. 

As of September 2024, approximately 350 Palestinian children between ages 12-17 were being held in Israeli military detention according to data from Defense for Children International-Palestine. The number had increased significantly since October 2023, with the Palestinian Commission estimating “about 460 children have been detained in about five months”—a notable jump from previous annual estimates of 500-700 Palestinian children in Israeli military detention each year. 

While Mohammed Ibrahim’s release provides a hopeful resolution to his individual case, it underscores ongoing systemic issues affecting hundreds of Palestinian children. As his uncle aptly noted: “We expect the American government to protect our families”. The continued detention of hundreds of other Palestinian children suggests that without significant policy changes, similar cases will likely continue to occur. 

The international community, human rights organizations, and concerned citizens continue to call for reforms to ensure that all children—regardless of nationality or ethnicity—are treated with dignity and afforded their fundamental rights under international law.