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A group of Democrats is demanding Israel release 16-year-old Mohammad Ibrahim after the Palestinian American child has described the horrific abuses he’s facing at the hands of Israeli officers in military prison.
On Tuesday, Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) shared testimony from Mohammad. Israel has held Mohammad in pre-trial detention for eight months, during which Israel has barred him from seeing his family. He has lost a significant amount of weight and contracted scabies in that time.
The boy, who faces charges of rock throwing from Israeli authorities, detailed overcrowding and deprivation in Ofer military prison.
“[My] section consists of 19 rooms, each equipped with four bunk beds,” Mohammad told DCIP. “In each room, eight children occupy the beds, while the remaining children sleep on mattresses on the floor.”
“The mattresses, whether on the beds or on the floor, are extremely light and inadequate. Each prisoner receives two blankets, yet we still feel cold at night. There is no heating or cooling system in the rooms. The only items present are mattresses, blankets, and a single copy of the Quran in each room,” he said.
Mohammad said that authorities feed prisoners “extremely insufficient” meals. They are not fed dinner, and are only given three “tiny” pieces of bread and a spoonful of labneh for breakfast, and, for lunch, “half a small cup of undercooked, dry rice, a single sausage, and three small pieces of bread.” The prisoners are also denied basic hygiene, with limited access to showers and soap, said the boy.
Israel is notorious for its treatment of Palestinian children, trying them in military prisons and detaining them without charges or trial. In March, a Palestinian child, Walid Khalid Abdullah Ahmad, collapsed and died in Israel’s notorious Megiddo prison after being systematically starved by Israeli guards. He was just 17 years old.
Mohammad is a U.S. citizen hailing from Florida, and was 15 when Israeli forces blindfolded and arrested him at his family’s home in the occupied West Bank in February. He is the cousin of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank in July.
Mohammad’s family has advocated for him to be released, saying that U.S. pressure would be instrumental in that effort — but the U.S. government has thus far refused.
On Wednesday, 27 Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, urging them to pressure the Israeli government to secure Mohammad’s release. The letter effort was led by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Florida) and Maxwell Frost (D-Florida).
The lawmakers note that no one has been arrested for the killing of Musallet, and expressed concern that a continued lack of pressure by the U.S. government could lead to death for young Mohammad, like it did for Walid.
“In a disturbingly similar case, and underscoring our urgency concerning Mohammed’s continued pre-trial detention, 17-year-old Palestinian Walid Ahmad collapsed and died in Megiddo Prison on March 22nd, 2025 after also being detained for six months without charges or trial for allegedly throwing rocks,” the lawmakers said. “It is the responsibility of the U.S. government to ensure that this recent tragedy does not repeat itself with Mohammed.”
“As we have been told repeatedly, ‘the Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad.’ We share that view and urge you to fulfill this responsibility by engaging the Israeli government directly to secure the swift release of this American boy,” they went on.
“Not even an American passport can protect Palestinian children,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, who directs DCIP’s accountability program. “Despite his family’s advocacy in Congress and involvement of the U.S. embassy, Mohammad remains in Israeli prison. Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military court. Despite obligations under U.S. and international law, the American government either doesn’t have the will or the power to help Mohammad, and continues to send Israel weapons with no restrictions.”
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