The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joined more than 100 U.S. faith-based, human rights, and civil rights The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joined more than 100 U.S. faith-based, human rights, and civil rights organization sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for urgent action to secure the release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida who has been unjustly imprisoned by Israel since February.
The coalition emphasized that Mohammed’s health has been rapidly deteriorating after six months of imprisonment. His attorneys report he is suffering from scabies without medication and has lost more than 30 pounds due to Israel denying him food and medical treatment. The Israeli military currently holds him in Ofer prison, a facility notorious for systematic abuse of Palestinian children.
In February, Israeli soldiers stormed Mohammed’s family home in the West Bank in the middle of the night, blindfolded and tied him, and dragged him from his parents. He turned 16 while locked in an Israeli military prison, terrified and without any contact with his family.
The letter also notes that Mohammed is the cousin of Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian-American beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July.
Family members of Mohammed Ibrahim, CAIR-Florida, and coalition partners today held a press conference to announce the letter and call on the U.S. government to intervene immediately.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said: “Every day Mohammed spends in an Israeli military prison is another day the U.S. government is failing to protect its own citizens. Secretary Rubio must act immediately to bring Mohammed home before his health declines further or he suffers the same fate as other children who have died in Israeli prisons.”
CAIR-Florida Executive Director Abdullah Jaber said: “Mohammed is not just another statistic — he is a child with a community here in Florida that loves him and is fighting for him. We are calling on Secretary Rubio to do his job: defend the rights and lives of American children, including Palestinian-American children.”
Background:
- Mohammed Ibrahim, a U.S. citizen, was seized by Israeli soldiers in February 2025 at the age of 15.
- He is being held without trial in Ofer prison, where human rights organizations have documented systematic torture and abuse of Palestinian children.
- Numerous human rights groups, including Save the Children, have reported on soaring abuses and deaths of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons.
- Mohammed is the cousin of Florida-born U.S. citizen Sayfollah Musallet, beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July 2025.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com