Jerusalem
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An American teenager who has been held without trial in an Israeli prison for more than eight months will remain in custody for at least another week and a half, despite growing pressure from US lawmakers to be released.
Mohamed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian American from Palm Bay, Florida, was arrested by Israeli forces in February 2025 for allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Ibrahim told his lawyer that he confessed to the charges out of fear after being beaten and threatened with further beatings.
The Israel Prisons Authority said it does not comment on individual cases due to privacy concerns, but added that it operates under the supervision of regulatory authorities in accordance with the law.
Wednesday’s court hearing ended without Mr. Mohammed being released, and the next hearing is scheduled for November 9.
“It was hell,” his father, Zahel Ibrahim, told CNN. “I never expected something like this to last eight months.”
Zaher said she was told by U.S. officials that an agreement to secure her son’s release was being negotiated but not yet finalized. Muhammad’s family had expected him to be released after Wednesday’s hearing.
“The State Department is closely following Mr. Ibrahim’s case and is cooperating with the Israeli government regarding this case,” a US State Department spokesperson told CNN. “The ambassador and Jerusalem embassy staff have been deeply involved in resolving this incident and will continue to do so.”
Muhammad’s case drew the attention of senior U.S. officials over the summer after his cousin, 20-year-old American Saeed Musalet, was bludgeoned to death by Israeli settlers. Zaher Ibrahim raised the issue this summer when U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited Musalet’s father in the West Bank.
But Zaher Ibrahim said it took several months for the U.S. effort to really take off, and he felt betrayed by his own government.
“It’s the pressure from the media and members of Congress on Capitol Hill that got us to this point,” Zaher said. “I don’t think they would have cared as much if there was no pressure.”
Twenty-seven U.S. senators and congressmen wrote a letter this month to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Huckabee, calling on them to secure Mr. Muhammad’s “prompt release” and expressing concern over the alleged mistreatment he suffered in Israeli prisons.
Lawyers from International Child Defense Palestine visited Muhammad in prison and reported that he had “lost significant weight” during his imprisonment and was suffering from scabies.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Muhammad complained of abdominal pain and a headache, his father said. Zaher said one of his two security guards called him a liar during the hearing.
“It’s very painful,” Zaher said of watching her son on the court monitor.
At one point, Muhammad tried to raise his handcuffed hands to wave to his family. His father said one of the guards slapped his hand away.
“It’s very, very sad,” Zaher said, her voice shaking. “I don’t know after they put him in. I don’t know if they’ll hit him again.”
