ISRAEL freed a Palestinian today who took part in an attack when he was 13 and developed schizophrenia in prison as requests for his early release were denied.

The Israeli authorities accused Ahmad Manasra of being a terrorist who tried to kill Jews of his own age. 

However, Palestinians accuse Israel of subjecting a child to harsh incarceration that led to serious and potentially permanent mental illness. His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, said that Mr Manasra, now aged 23, had been released after completing his nine-and-a-half-year sentence.

In 2015, Mr Manasra and his 15-year-old cousin Hassan were accused of being involved in the wounding of an Israeli boy and an Israeli man in a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem. 

Hassan was shot dead on the spot by police, while Mr Manasra was run over by a car, beaten and taunted by Israeli passers-by.

He was later convicted of attempted murder and jailed. Doctors said he had developed schizophrenia while held in solitary confinement and had tried to harm himself and others.

Appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court for his early release were repeatedly rejected. The courts ruled that he was ineligible, regardless of his age or mental condition, because he had been convicted of terrorism.

Mr Zarbarqa said he did not have immediate information about Mr Manasra’s condition following his release, but he was with his parents.

“We know in jail he’s been very ill. We’re waiting to know his health situation now,” the lawyer said.

Mr Manasra’s family and legal representatives said he had been locked in a small cell for 23 hours a day and had suffered from paranoia and delusions. His lawyer said Mr Manasra had tried to slit his wrists.

Today, the Prisons Authority declined to comment on the specific conditions under which he had been held.

Human rights groups say conditions in Israeli prisons have become far more harsh since the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel. 

Palestinian prisoners released during a recent ceasefire often appeared gaunt and ill and many went straight to local hospitals for treatment.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back after some air force reservists criticised his war on the Palestinians.

He described their comments as “unforgivable.”

The Israeli military said it would dismiss serving reservists who had signed a letter calling for the return of the remaining hostages held in Gaza to be prioritised over continuing the war against Hamas.

The letter said that prolonging the fighting would lead to the deaths of the hostages, Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians and that the fighting was politically motivated.