Ahmad Manasra Freed after Nine Years of Controversial Imprisonment

Ahmad Manasra, a Palestinian arrested at the age of 13 for his alleged involvement in a stabbing attack, has been released after serving more than nine years in an Israeli prison. His case drew international attention due to serious mental health deterioration during his incarceration and multiple failed attempts to secure early release.

Now 23, Manasra was freed on Thursday after completing his nine-and-a-half-year sentence, according to his lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa. A resident of occupied East Jerusalem, Ahmad was convicted for being with his cousin, Hassan Manasra, during a 2015 stabbing incident near the Pisgat Ze’ev settlement. Though Ahmad did not participate in the stabbing and this was acknowledged in court, he was charged with attempted murder.

During the attack, Hassan was killed by an Israeli civilian. Ahmad, meanwhile, was violently beaten and run over, resulting in skull fractures and internal bleeding. A disturbing video showing him injured and mocked by onlookers circulated widely at the time.

In 2021, after an altercation with another prisoner, Ahmad was placed in solitary confinement. Reports from his legal team and family described his conditions as extreme—confined for 23 hours a day, plagued by paranoia and delusions, and struggling with suicidal thoughts. Periodically, he was transferred to a psychiatric unit where he was medicated.

A medical evaluation in late 2021 by Doctors Without Borders diagnosed Ahmad with schizophrenia and warned that continued imprisonment risked permanent psychological harm.

His release follows sustained pressure from international organizations, including the United Nations and European Union. However, the Israeli Supreme Court consistently rejected appeals for early release, citing his conviction under terrorism laws. A legal amendment in the interim allowed children as young as 12 to be tried for terrorism.

Lawyer Zabarqa said Ahmad was released far from Nafha Prison, in an isolated area near Beersheba, seemingly to prevent his family from meeting him. A passerby found him and contacted his relatives, who later reunited with him.

Ahmad is now with his parents, though concerns about his mental health persist. Amnesty International described his release as a great relief, while also condemning the years of trauma and abuse he endured.