“We want him home,” said Zeyad Kadur, Ibrahim’s uncle, during a press conference held at the office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Tampa on Tuesday.
According to his attorneys, Ibrahim is being held in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, where they say he has contracted scabies but been denied medical treatment. Since his detention more than six months ago he has lost more than 25 pounds, they said.
“He’s not on Ozempic, he’s getting starved,” said Kadur. “Scabies from his feet to his fingertips, begging for ointment to treat him. U.S. Embassy getting denied access because of how contagious it is.”
“This is not politics,” added Hiba Rahim, CAIR-FL deputy executive director. “This is the life of an American teenager who’s being held in an Israeli prison. One that is notorious for abuses. And regardless of what type of prison it is, he needs to be back with his family. He’s a 16-year-old young American man. We’re asking for help to bring him back.”
Ibrahim’s family resides in Palm Bay on Florida’s east coast. They are represented in Congress by Republican Mike Haridopolos.
Kadur said on Tuesday that he has personally contacted Haridopolos’ office seven times in the past six months — “at least” four times by email and three times by phone — but says he has never heard back.
George Alderman, communications director for Haridopolos’ Washington, D.C., office, told the Phoenix when asked about Mohammed Ibrahim that “this is constituent case work.”
“There’s not much to talk about because it is confidential. The details of it,” he said. “All we’re able to confirm from the office is that we are in contact with the family of Mohammed Ibrahim.”
Among those speaking out during the press conference in Tampa was Samuel Ronen, with the Progressive Jewish Coalition of Tampa Bay.
“If this child had my name, looked a little bit more like me. Believe as I believe. Would he be home already?” he asked. “I think we all know what that answer is.”
Ibrahim is a cousin of Sayfollah Musallet, the 20-year-old Palestinian American and Tampa resident who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in July.
Home raid
According to the letter sent to Rubio on Tuesday, more than two dozen Israeli soldiers broke into Ibrahim’s family home in the West Bank in February during the middle of the night and took Ibrahim to an Israeli military prison. He was 15 years old at the time.
The Guardian has reported that the Israel Defense Forces have not responded to their inquiries about the allegations against Ibrahim, directing questions to the Israel Prison Service, which manages the Megiddo prison. The IPS has not responded to requests for comment, the Guardian has reported.
When asked about Ibrahim, an official with the U.S. State Department sent a statement without referring specifically to Mohammed Ibrahim’s situation.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” the statement began.
“If we become aware of an arrest of any U.S citizen, including a minor, we will provide consular services, including prison visits to ensure safety and security and communication with family as appropriate,” the spokesperson said. “Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, the Department works to provide consular assistance in accordance with U.S. and international law.”
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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This article appears in Best of Orlando (R) 2025.