6 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue hunger strike to gain freedom
Despite of health deterioration, six Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their open-ended hunger strike in protest of their unfair administrative detention without a charge or trial and to gain their freedom.
The six hunger-striking prisoners’ health condition has been deteriorating severely, as they have been suffering from powerful fatigue, exhaustion, headache, severe weight loss, irregular heart beats and serious decline in body fluids and vitamins.
The longest hunger-striker is Kayed Fasfous, as he has been on hunger strike for 116 days, lost over 40 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from pain all over his body.
Fasfous is currently held at Barzilai Hospital, and after freezing his administrative detention on October 14, the Israeli occupation authorities reactivated his detention on October 29.
Fasfous is followed by Miqdad Qawasmi, who has been on a hunger strike for 109 days.
Qawasmi’s health condition has been deteriorating severely as he lost over 40 kilograms of his weight; he weighed 78 kilograms, but now he’s 40 kilograms.
Qawasmi’s family said that he has started losing a part of his memory and that Israeli doctors in the hospital were threatening to force-feed Qawasmi as they tried to coercively treat Qawasmi while he was tied to his bed in the ICU.
“He’s suffering from severe pain all over his body. He lost over 40 kilograms of his weight. His health is continuously deteriorating. There are problems in his liver and he has Bacteremia. His heart rate was very low a few days ago. There’s no improvement in his health,” his mother said.
On November 4, Israeli Court reactivated the administrative detention of Qawasmi, after claiming that Qawasmi’s health condition has improved.
Hours after reactivating his administrative detention, the Court transferred Qawasmi from the Kaplan Medical Center to the Al-Ramla prison Clinic and prevented his family from seeing him.
On the 6th of October, Israel’s High Court froze the administrative order for the detention of Qawasmi when he entered his 77th day of hunger strike.
The 6 hunger-striking prisoners are:
•Kayed Fasfous (116 days of hunger strike)
•Alaa Al-A’raj (92 days of hunger strike)
•Miqdad Qawasmi (109 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (82 days of hunger strike)
•Ayyad Harimi (46 days of hunger strike)
•Loay Alashqar (28 days of hunger strike)
Palestinian prisoner Rateb Haribat has also started an open-ended hunger strike since 30 days in solidarity with his six inmates.
Over 40 Palestinian detainees started hunger strike since the start of 2021, in protest against Israel’s detention without a charge or trial.
Administrative detention is illegal under international law, however, the occupation state uses it to repress the Palestinian people.
‘Israel’ routinely uses administrative detention and has, over the years, placed thousands of Palestinians behind bars for periods ranging from several months to several years, without charging them, without telling them what they are accused of, and without disclosing the alleged evidence to them or to their lawyers.
Thus, the hunger strike is a method of a non-violent resistance which the prisoners use to protect their lives and their fundamental rights and a response to the occupation racist policies which they face in the prisons.
On Sunday, the Palestinian prisoners’ movement announced that thousands of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails are going to reject their lunch and dinner meals, expressing their solidarity with their six inmates who have been on an open-ended hunger strike.
