Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim should be starting his junior year of high school here in Palm Bay. Instead, the 16-year-old American citizen has spent more than six months locked in a notorious Israeli military prison. He was only 15 when soldiers stormed his family’s home in Silwad, West Bank, blindfolded him, and took him into custody over allegations of throwing a rock at Israeli vehicles .
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Today, Mohammed is being held in Ofer Prison—described by human rights groups as notorious for the abuse of Palestinian children . He’s lost at least 25 pounds (now weighing 65 pounds), developed scabies, and been denied access to his parents or lawyer. He even spent his 16th birthday alone behind bars.
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Mohammed is the youngest of five siblings, and his family splits their time between the village on the West Bank and Palm Bay. They are American Citizens. His father, Zaher Ibrahim, reached out to congressman Mike Haridopolos in March, pleading for help after more than 45 days without contact with his son.
“The Megiddo Prison is notorious for brutality and suffering,” Zaher Ibrahim wrote in a form he sent to Haridopolos that has been viewed by the Guardian. “We are kindly asking for some support in this matter. We have exhausted all efforts locally here in Israel and have no other option than to ask our local Florida office officials to reach out on our behalf.”
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The Guardian reports, Haridopolos’s office confirmed it had been contacted about Mohammed Ibrahim and said it had shared the family’s information with the state department. The office said it had been informed that the US embassy in Israel was “following standard procedures”. A spokesperson for the state department said in a statement there is “no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens”. The State Department, which has since confirmed welfare checks but admits access to him has been restricted .
Community and National Advocacy
Mohammed’s case has now drawn national attention. A coalition of over 100 U.S. civil rights, faith-based, and human rights groups—including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Pax Christi USA—has demanded that Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervene to bring him home .
The campaign has escalated, with a massive Times Square billboard calling him a “Palestinian-American teenager unjustly imprisoned by Israel.” Advocates argue his detention violates the Geneva Conventions and warn that his life is at risk if the U.S. government does not act .
A Stark Contrast in Justice
The severity of Mohammed’s imprisonment is only magnified when contrasted with how other cases have been handled:
An Israeli Official in Las Vegas: Just weeks ago, Israeli cybersecurity official Tom Artiom Alexandrovich was arrested in a Las Vegas sting for allegedly soliciting sex with a minor. Despite the seriousness of the charge, he was granted bail, allowed to immediately leave the country, and safely returned to Israel without facing trial here. No lengthy detention, no solitary confinement—just a quick release and a plane ticket home. Israel denies he was ever arrested although records show that he was.
Randy Fine’s Comments on American Deaths Abroad: When Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist, was killed by Israeli forces during a West Bank protest, Brevard’s own Congressman Randy Fine responded on social media with chilling words: “Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerrorist. #FireAway.” His celebration of an American citizen’s death highlights a disturbing double standard in whose lives are considered worth protecting.
In another incident, the US Representative said that there was no such thing as innocent Palestinian civilians, called them “demons that live on Earth” who “deserve death,” “no state,” and said that “Gaza must be destroyed.”
This isn’t just a foreign policy story. Mohammed is our neighbor, a Palm Bay teen whose citizenship has failed to shield him from neglect and mistreatment abroad. If an American child from our own community can be left to languish in a military prison without due process, what does that say about the value of our passports—or our government’s willingness to defend its citizens equally?
The silence on this issue isn’t surprising locally due to the firebomb of politics surrounding Israel, Gaza, and the United States. Any criticism of Israel at any measure if often quickly labeled as anit-Semetism. Additionally, Palm Bay City Councilman Chandler Langevin made national headlines when he proclaimed publicly Muslims have no place in America.
Palm Bay and the greater Space Coast community can play a role in demanding justice for Mohammed:
Contact Representatives – Call Congressman Haridopolos and Florida’s senators to demand stronger action for Mohammed’s release.
Support Advocacy Campaigns – National organizations have launched petitions and awareness campaigns, including billboards and letter-writing drives, that need amplification.
Raise Awareness Locally – Share Mohammed’s story on social media, at community events, and through civic organizations so his case cannot be ignored.
Demand Accountability – Push back when elected officials celebrate the death or imprisonment of U.S. citizens. Silence allows injustice to grow.
The story of Mohammed Ibrahim is about more than one Palm Bay teenager—it’s about whether the U.S. government applies the same protection to all of its citizens, regardless of their heritage. As Brevard County residents, we must ask: Why is our child in prison abroad while others accused of far worse crimes walk free?
