Democrats demand immediate release of Palestinian-American teen held in Israeli prison

More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers have written to secretary of state Marco Rubio and the US ambassador to Israel demanding the immediate release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American citizen who has been held in Israeli military detention for nearly eight months.

Ibrahim, a dual Palestinian-American teenager from Florida, was arrested in a raid on his family’s West Bank home in February when he was 15 years old. Israeli forces allegedly blindfolded and handcuffed the boy at 3am, according to the letter led by senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley and representatives Kathy Castor and Maxwell Frost.

“As we have been told repeatedly, ‘the Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad,’” the lawmakers wrote. “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.”

Related: Jewish figures across the globe call on UN and world leaders to sanction Israel

The letter follows the Guardian’s initial reporting on Ibrahim’s detention in July, which noted that he lost a significant amount of weight and contracted scabies, according to state department correspondences obtained by the Guardian.

The group of 27 lawmakers, including senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Adam Schiff and Raphael Warnock, said they had “grave concern” over Ibrahim’s treatment and demanded a response by 3 November detailing what efforts the Trump administration has made to secure his release.

In August, more than 100 US human rights, faith-based and civil rights organizations separately sent their own letter to Rubio demanding Ibrahim’s immediate release. The letter also arrives weeks after the Guardian learned the state department appointed a dedicated official to handle Ibrahim’s case.

Rubio is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday for a 48-hour visit, following JD Vance, who arrived Tuesday. Rubio’s trip will include meetings with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and comes as Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steven Witkoff are also in the country discussing the transition to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Ibrahim has been accused of throwing rocks at Israeli vehicles in the West Bank on two separate incidents, according to court documents reviewed by the Guardian, though the lawmakers note that “no evidence has been publicly provided to support this allegation”. His family has not been able to contact him directly, receiving updates only through US embassy staff and former detainees.

The lawmakers also point to the March death of Walid Ahmad, a 17-year-old Palestinian who collapsed and died in Megiddo prison after six months of detention for allegedly throwing rocks. His autopsy showed he died from extreme malnutrition, torture, scabies and denial of medical care. Lawmakers warned that “it is the responsibility of the US government to ensure that this recent tragedy does not repeat itself with Mohammed.”

In a recent 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 labneh, and lunch amounting to half a small cup of undercooked rice, a single sausage, and three pieces of bread. “Dinner is not provided, and we receive no fruit whatsoever,” he said.

The Guardian first became aware of the teenager’s case after his 20-year-old American-Palestinian cousin Sayfollah Musallet was allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers. To date, no arrests have been made in his killing, though US ambassador Mike Huckabee – one of the recipients of the new letter – called it a “criminal and terrorist act” and demanded Israel “aggressively investigate the murder”. Huckabee has not similarly spoken out about Ibrahim’s detention.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are subject to Israeli military law and tried in military courts, where there have been well-documented concerns about due process. Ibrahim has been denied all contact with the outside world except for visits from US embassy officials, while his court hearings have been routinely postponed.

Israel’s prison service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.