Family demands independent medical care for US teen detained by Israel

In response to alarming rumors about Mohammed Ibrahim’s status in prison, the Palestinian American boy has been held by Israel since February.

Zeyad Kadur, Mohammed’s uncle, claimed a representative from the US Embassy in Israel visited the 16-year-old at Ofer Prison last week.

Afterward, the official informed the family that Ibrahim had lost weight and had developed dark circles around his eyes, according to Kadur.

Mohammed’s case has also been discussed with numerous US and Israeli agencies, according to the consular officer.

How bad is it because they showed “serious concern for his health” for the first time in nine months? On Wednesday, Kharur asked in an interview.

Mohammed’s family claimed that the administration of President Donald Trump is not doing enough to bring him home despite rights groups and US lawmakers’ pleas for his release.

Ibrahim denies throwing rocks at Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to an accusation made by Israeli authorities.

Mohammed’s family claims that the legal proceedings in the case are moving at a snail’s pace in Israel’s military justice system.

Given that the occupied West Bank has a nearly 100% conviction rate for Palestinian defendants, rights advocates claim that the military court system is a component of Israel’s discriminatory apartheid regime.

The teenager’s lack of access while Mohammed is imprisoned in Israel only heightens the family’s fury. His relatives only receive updates from the US embassy when they are unable to visit him or speak with him.

His father, Zaher Ibrahim, reported to Al Jazeera earlier this year that the teenager had been losing a lot of weight while he was in custody. Additionally, he developed scabies, a spreadable skin condition.

He last received a visit from US Embassy staff in September.

Particularly after Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023, Israeli authorities have committed well-known abuses against Palestinian prisoners, including torture and sexual violence.

We are aware of how people are getting out of prison and what they look like, according to Kadur.

“Mohammed was a 15-year-old American child. He is now 16 years old, hasn’t seen his dad, and hasn’t seen his mother in nine months.

Mohammed’s mental health is another concern, he added.

We request that he be taken to a hospital and evaluated by a third party, not a prison nurse or doctor. Mohammed’s uncle informed Al Jazeera that he needs some serious attention.

When Mohammed, a Florida native, was detained, blindfolded, and tortured during what Kadur called a “kidnapping,” he was on a trip to Palestine.

The US Department of State did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Mohammed’s most recent consular visit.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to have misunderstood a question about Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti when he went to Israel last month, believing it to be about Mohammed’s case.

Do you have any experience with the US one? Rubio told reporters, “I don’t have any news for you today.”

We will obviously work that through our diplomatic channels and our embassy in this country, but that is all we have to say.

However, Mohammed’s case requires political will from Washington to secure his freedom, not one that is bureaucratically or legally based.

Kadur emphasized that the US has negotiated with allies to free detained Americans, including Venezuela, Russia, and North Korea, in order to press for Mohammed’s release from its most enmity in the Middle East.

Over the past two years, the US has provided military aid to Israel totaling more than $ 21 billion.

In contrast, Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saw a sharp contrast between the US’s efforts to free Mohammed and the US’s push to release US citizen Edan Alexander, who had been serving in the Israeli army and was imprisoned as a result.

Following repression by the Trump administration against Hamas, Alexander was freed in May.

According to Kadur, “The American government negotiated with what they view as a terrorist organization, and they secured his release.” Alexander was an adult who put on a uniform, grabbed a gun, and carried out his obligations.

Source: Aljazeera