Palestinian American teenager to remain in Israeli jail despite growing pressure in Congress for his release

By Jeremy Diamond, Zeena Saifi, CNN

Jerusalem (CNN) — An American teenager held in an Israeli prison without trial for more than eight months will remain in detention for at least another week and a half, despite growing pressure from US lawmakers for his release.

Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American from Palm Bay, Florida, was arrested by Israeli forces in February 2025 after being accused of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Ibrahim has told lawyers that he confessed to the accusations out of fear after he was beaten and threatened with more beatings.

The Israel Prison Service said it doesn’t comment on individual cases for privacy considerations but added that it operates according to the law and under the supervision of oversight bodies.

A court hearing on Wednesday ended without Mohammed’s release and his next hearing is scheduled for November 9.

“It’s just been hell,” his father Zaher Ibrahim told CNN. “We never thought something like this would go on for eight months.”

Zaher said US officials have told him there a deal is being negotiated to secure his son’s release, but it has yet to be finalized. Mohammad’s family had been hopeful he would be released following Wednesday’s hearing.

“The State Department is tracking Mr. Ibrahim’s case closely and working with the government of Israel on this case,” a US State Department spokesperson told CNN. “The Ambassador and the Embassy Jerusalem staff have been deeply involved in working on this case and continue to do so.”

Mohammed’s case was brought to the attention of senior US officials over the summer, after his cousin — 20-year-old American Said Musallet — was beaten to death by Israeli settlers. Zaher Ibrahim raised the case with US ambassador Mike Huckabee this summer when Huckabee visited Musallet’s father in the West Bank.

But Zaher Ibrahim says it took months for US efforts to truly ramp up, saying he felt betrayed by his own government.

“What got us to this point is the pressure of the media and lawmakers on Capitol Hill,” Zaher said. “If it wasn’t for the pressure, I think they’d care less.”

Twenty-seven US senators and representatives wrote a letter this month calling on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Huckabee to secure Mohammed’s “swift release,” expressing concern about the alleged mistreatment he has faced in Israeli prisons.

A lawyer for Defense for Children International – Palestine visited Mohammed in prison and reported that he had “lost a considerable amount of weight” during his imprisonment and suffered from scabies.

During his hearing on Wednesday, Mohammed reported stomach pain and headaches, his father said. One of the two guards flanking him during the hearing then called him a liar, according to Zaher.

“It’s very hard,” Zaher said, describing seeing his son on a courtroom monitor.

At one point, Mohammad tried to raise his cuffed hands to wave to his family. One of the guards slapped his hand away, his father said.

“It’s just very, very sad,” Zaher said, his voice cracking. “You don’t know after they take him in – you don’t know if they’re gonna hit him again.”

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