A Palestinian man, Ahmed Manasra, who was imprisoned by Israel for an attack he committed at the age of 13, has been released after serving nearly a decade in jail.
Now 23, Manasra became emblematic of a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that erupted in 2015.
The incident, captured on surveillance footage, showed Manasra and his cousin, Hassan, who was 15 at the time, wielding large kitchen knives in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed.
Hassan injured a 13-year-old Israeli boy and an Israeli man before being shot dead by police.
Manasra’s case has drawn significant attention from human rights organizations. Amnesty International reported that he endured severe mistreatment, including almost two years in solitary confinement, which led to serious mental health issues.
His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, told the BBC that Manasra was released after completing his sentence.
The young ages of Manasra and his cousin at the time of the attack led many Israelis to believe they had been influenced by propaganda. Following the stabbing, Manasra fled the scene but was hit by a car.
A distressing video, widely shared on social media, showed him bleeding on the street, with an Israeli bystander mocking him.
The footage sparked outrage in the Arab world, with many believing he had died. However, days later, Israeli authorities released a photo of him receiving treatment in the hospital.
Manasra was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. During his time behind bars, medical experts said he developed schizophrenia, which led to attempts to harm both himself and others.
Efforts to have his sentence reduced through legal appeals were rejected, as he had been convicted of a terrorist offense. Since his release, his family has remained silent with journalists, with Zabarqa commenting that their focus is now on Manasra’s health.
“Until now, Ahmed’s health state is unknown, and the family’s priority is to diagnose and treat him and follow up on his health situation to lessen the side-effects that Ahmed might face,” Zabarqa said.
Amnesty International and the Israeli rights group Adalah have accused Israel of breaching international law throughout Manasra’s case.
They highlight that he was interrogated at 13 without a guardian or lawyer present. Leaked footage showed Israeli security personnel shouting at him, and he appeared increasingly distressed.
Adalah added that “Manasra’s rights were systematically stripped since his imprisonment,” pointing to his limited family contact, lack of education, and two years in solitary confinement. “His right to dignity was violated, including through two years spent in solitary confinement, and his right to health was disregarded due to ongoing medical neglect by the Israel Prison Service,” the group stated.
The Israeli Prison Service responded by saying that all detainees are held in accordance with international law and that any allegations of abuse are investigated.
Recent reports from former Palestinian prisoners paint a grim picture of life in Israeli jails, especially following the deadly Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in October 2023, which led to the Gaza war.
Those recently freed described harsh conditions, including beatings, overcrowding, insufficient medical care, and unsanitary conditions.
In a related incident, Walid Khalid Ahmed, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy from the occupied West Bank, died last month after spending six months in an Israeli jail without charge.
He collapsed under unclear circumstances, and an Israeli doctor who examined him during the post-mortem concluded that he had suffered from extreme malnutrition. This marked the first death of a Palestinian child in Israeli detention.
