A Palestinian-American teenager detained in Israel for nine months has been released.
Mohammed Ibrahim was 15 when he was arrested in February on suspicion of throwing stones at Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank while on vacation in Florida, a charge he has previously denied.
The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news of Mohammed’s release.
The BBC contacted Israeli authorities but did not receive a response.
Mohammed, now 16, was taken to hospital for treatment shortly after his release, relatives told media. They said he was pale, underweight and suffering from diseases he contracted in captivity.
In a statement, Mohammed’s uncle spoke of the family’s “tremendous relief”. Zeyad Kadur said the family had been “living a terrible, endless nightmare” for the past nine months.
“Right now, our focus is on getting Mohammed the immediate medical care he needs after suffering months of abuse and inhumane conditions in Israel. We want him to be healthy and get his childhood back,” he said.
He added, “Israeli soldiers had no right to take Muhammad away from us in the first place.”
The State Department said it would continue to provide consular assistance to Mohammed’s family. “The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” he added.
Earlier this week, Mohammed’s father, Zahar Ibrahim, told the BBC he was frustrated the US government was not doing more to get his son out of prison.
Twenty-seven U.S. lawmakers signed a letter calling on the State Department and President Donald Trump to do more to secure his release.
Mr Ibrahim, a father of four who runs an ice cream shop in Florida, previously said his son had confessed to throwing the rock because soldiers were beating him.
He has not seen or spoken to Mohammed since February and has only heard about what happened to him while in custody through court documents.
Muhammad was imprisoned without charge in Ofer prison in the West Bank. It is also home to adult prisoners, some of whom have been convicted of serious terrorism offenses and murder.
According to the Israel Prison Service, there are about 350 Palestinian child security detainees in Israeli prisons.
Many have never been prosecuted, and human rights groups and the United Nations say some have been abused and tortured.
After Mohammed’s release, Kadour said the family would continue to fight for justice for his cousin Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old dual U.S. citizen who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was beaten to death by Israeli settlers during a confrontation last July.
At the time, the Israeli military said authorities were investigating reports that one Palestinian civilian had been killed.
Mohammed and Sayfollah worked together at their family’s ice cream shop in Tampa, Florida. No one has been charged with Seypola’s murder.
“We expect the U.S. government to protect our families,” Kadur said.
