Ahmad Manasra, a Palestinian convicted of attempted murder in a 2015 stabbing incident at the age of 13, was released by Israeli authorities on Thursday after completing a nine-and-a-half-year sentence. His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, confirmed that Manasra, who developed schizophrenia in prison, is now with his parents.
The case had drawn widespread international attention due to Manasra’s young age at the time of the attack and the prolonged solitary confinement he endured during his incarceration.
In 2015, Manasra and his 15-year-old cousin, Hassan, carried out a knife attack in the Pisgat Zeev settlement in east Jerusalem. Hassan critically wounded a 13-year-old Israeli boy outside a sweet shop and stabbed an adult Israeli man before being shot dead by Israeli police.
Ahmad was struck by a vehicle while fleeing the scene and then beaten and verbally abused by bystanders. Footage of the bloodied teenager lying in the street while being taunted went viral, garnering millions of views and intensifying debate around the case.
Manasra was later convicted of attempted murder. His time in prison was marked by solitary confinement, deteriorating mental health, and suicide attempts, according to his family and legal representatives.
“We know in jail he's been very ill. We're waiting to know his health situation now,” Zabarqa told reporters following his release.
Despite repeated appeals to the Israeli Supreme Court for early release on medical grounds, the petitions were denied. The court ruled that Manasra was ineligible for early release due to his conviction for terrorism, irrespective of his age at the time or current mental condition.
Manasra was reportedly placed in isolation in late 2021 after an altercation with another inmate. Subsequent interviews with his family and lawyers indicated he was kept in a small cell for 23 hours a day. He experienced hallucinations, paranoia, and severe insomnia. His lawyer noted that at one point Manasra attempted to slit his wrists.
He was periodically transferred to the psychiatric wing of a different facility, where he received injections intended to stabilise his condition. A medical expert who examined him at the age of 18 diagnosed him with schizophrenia, citing the psychological toll of prolonged imprisonment and warning that further incarceration risked permanent disability.
The Israel Prison Service declined to comment on Manasra’s individual circumstances but stated that all inmates are held in accordance with Israeli and international legal standards. “Any allegations of abuse are investigated,” a spokesperson said.
Human rights groups have voiced concern about worsening conditions in Israeli prisons, especially since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack which triggered the current war in Gaza. Detainees released in recent ceasefires have often appeared emaciated and in poor health, with many requiring immediate hospitalisation.
The ministry overseeing Israeli prisons has publicly stated that it has minimised conditions for security prisoners to the legal minimum required.
Last month, a Palestinian teenager from the occupied West Bank died in Israeli custody after collapsing in unclear circumstances. He had been held for six months without charge, becoming the first Palestinian minor to die in Israeli detention in recent years.
Manasra’s case remains emblematic of the polarised narratives that surround the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Israeli authorities maintain that he participated in a premeditated terror attack targeting children his own age. Meanwhile, Palestinian and international rights groups argue that a child was subjected to punitive detention that led to serious, possibly irreversible mental harm.
Follow us
