6 Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners suffer badly in Israeli jails

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Six Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue their open hunger strike in protest of their unfair administrative detention without a charge or trial.

The Six hunger-striking prisoners’ health condition has been deteriorating, as they have been suffering from powerful fatigue, exhaustion, headache, severe weight loss, and deficiency of fluids in the body.

The longest hunger-striker is Kayed Fasfous, as he has been on hunger strike for 82 days, and he lost over 40 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from pain all over his body, his family said while expressing serious concern over their son’s health.

The 6 hunger-striking prisoners are:
•Kayed Fasfous (82 days of hunger strike)
•Alaa Al-A’raj (57 days of hunger strike)
•Miqdad al-Kawasma (75 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (45 days of hunger strike)
•Rayek Bisharat (44 days of hunger strike)
•Shadi abu Akaer (41 days of hunger strike)

Yesterday, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails announced they will begin a series of protest campagin in response to the punitive and repressive measures taken against them by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), and in support of their hunger-striking inmates.

The Commission of Detainees and ex-Detainees said Israel’s repressive and punitive measures against the prisoners include torture, solitary confinement, interrogations and denying the access of essential services for the prisoners.

Such measures, the commission said, aim to avenge the prisoners as a part of collective punishment, adding that there is an official Israeli green light for the IPS to deal with the prisoners as it sees fit.

Around 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.

There are 4,850 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails, among the prisoners are 540 administrative detainees held without charge or trial, 225 child prisoners and 41 female prisoners.

In June only, 615 Palestinians, including 92 minors and 24 women, were detained by Israeli occupation, while 100 administrative detention orders were issued.

In 2020 only, the Israeli occupation forces arrested 4,634 Palestinians, among them 543 children and 128 women, in addition to issuing 1,114 administrative detention orders.

By the end of March 2021, the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees reached 4,450, including 37 women, 140 children, and 440 administrative detainees.

By the end of May 2021, the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails reached 4,277 Palestinians, including 435 administrative detainees.