Freedom Now welcomes the release of Mohammed El-Halabi from wrongful detention in Israel. El-Halabi was released as part of an exchange of detainees between Israel and Hamas on February 1, 2025. El-Halabi is an award-winning Palestinian aid worker who was serving a 12-year sentence on fabricated charges intended to obstruct humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Prior to his imprisonment, El-Halabi was serving as operations manager for World Vision International in Gaza when he was arrested by Israeli security forces in June 2016. Despite releasing no evidence, the Israeli government charged El-Halabi with membership in a terrorist organization and financing terrorist activities for allegedly diverting over $50 million in World Vision funds to Hamas—an impossibility, given that amount far exceeded the organization’s operating budget for even the preceding decade. Subsequent investigations by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and foreign auditors found no evidence of the Israeli government’s claims and El-Halabi maintained his innocence. In June 2022, after six years of proceedings plagued with procedural irregularities and fair trial violations, he was convicted on undisclosed evidence and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Freedom Now is deeply concerned about the state of El-Halabi’s health. He has lost a significant amount of weight and strength, and he shows visible signs of torture and starvation. While imprisoned, El-Halabi reported being subjected to numerous forms of torture and ill treatment, including physical beatings, stress positions, and denial of sleep. If confirmed, Israel’s treatment of El-Halabi clearly violates its obligations as a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture (CAT).
Despite El-Halabi’s release, he has not been granted any formal pardon, and remains at risk for future unjust prosecution. As the result of the Israeli government’s invasion of Gaza, El-Halabi’s home, where he lived with his wife and children, has been destroyed. We strongly urge the Israeli government to uphold its international human rights commitments by fully pardoning El-Halabi and providing him with full and fair reparations for the injuries he sustained while detained.