Palestinian teen reunites with family after month in Israeli jail

Looking tiny in his adult-size grey prison jumpsuit, 15-year-old Palestinian Ezzedine al-Lahalia appeared stunned as his mother embraced him after a month in an Israeli jail. His first request was a child's wish for his favourite food: stuffed cabbage and shawarma. The teenager, who had been charged with throwing stones, was reunited with his family Thursday night in an emotional scene witnessed by an AFP photographer. Ezzedine's mother held back tears as she kissed his cheeks, while the older men released alongside him greeted their wives and children. Then Israeli troops fired tear gas, interrupting the families' reunions. Lahalia, from the West Bank city of Sair, reunited with his family in the village of Al-Jib near Jerusalem, where Israeli authorities typically release Palestinian prisoners on Thursdays. "After the Israelis brought the prisoners out, after we had received them, they fired tear gas," Ezzedine's mother, Rania Jaradat told AFP, adding that the scene was reminiscent of when soldiers took the boy from the family home on October 14, 2026. "They were afraid that the families would assemble near the gate and celebrate," she said. After Lahalia's release, she said, "the first thing he asked for was stuffed cabbage and shawarma". She happily complied. He was released after the family paid 5,000-shekels (around $1,500) in bail. As the eldest of five, his absence was particularly felt by his younger siblings. "They're happy that I've returned, but they were very distressed while I wasn't with them," Ezzedine told AFP. According to the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails, including 350 minors. Earlier this week, the military said it had shot a 14-year-old in a group of boys it suspected of throwing stones at passing car in the north of the West Bank. The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem noted an increase in deaths of Palestinians after the easing of open-fire rules in 2022 for stone throwers. pho-lba/glp/ser This one's on us. The story doesn't end here. Our correspondents are already on the next chapter. Read everything they file, from $2/week.