“Help my father⁩,” daughter of 108-day-hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner urge US Congress members

The daughter of Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails Kayed Fasfous, who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 108 consecutive days, has urged US Congress members and international human rights groups to help and save her father.

In a recorded video exclusively obtained by Quds News Network from Kayed’s family, Kayed’s daughter, Jiwan, has called on the US Congress members, including Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Betty McCollum and international human rights organizations to intervene and save her father.

“My father is very tired,” said Jiwan in her appeal to the US Congress members and human rights groups.

She continued, “I begged the whole world to help my father, but nobody listened or helped my father.”

“But I will keep begging the world to help my father,” Jiwan stressed while the tears started welling up in her eyes.

“For God’s sake, help my father⁩. Please, Ilhan Omar, help my father. Please, Rashida Tlaib, help my father. Please, Betty McCollum, help my father,” Jiwan appealed to the three US Congresswomen, saying she’s afraid her father would die.

“Please, Amnesty International, help my father. Only you can help my father, Amnesty International,” Jiwan called on the human rights group.

“I swear, if my father dies, I will not forgive anyone. I will not forgive anyone,” Jiwan said.

“I am Jiwan, the daughter of the hero prisoner, Kayed al-Fasfous. Help my father. I am proud of you, my dear father. I am proud of you.”

"If my father dies, I will not forgive anyone."

Jiwan Kayed Fasfous appeals to the U.S. Congress, @amnesty and @hrw to intervene and save her father's life, who has been on hunger strike for 107 days today, in protest of his administrative detention by Israel.#FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/LQ9sF2u2xv

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 29, 2021

Fasfous, who is a father of one, was arrested several times before, the last one was in October 2020.

He has been on an open-ended hunger strike since July 2021 against his administrative detention in Israeli jails without a charge or trial.

On October 14, 2021, Israel’s High Court decided to freeze Fasfous’s administrative detention. Such a decision does not release Fasfous from administrative detention – it simply freezes the order for the period of his treatment and observation, as his health condition has been deteriorating severely.

The court’s decision also means that the administration of prisons and the Intelligence service are not responsible for his life, and turning him into an unofficial prisoner held at the hospital, under the guardianship of the hospital’s security instead of the jailors.

Fasfous’s family and relatives were able to visit him at the Barzilai Hospital as a patient, rather than as a detainee, but his family were not allowed to transfer him to any place.

He was held before at the Al-Ramla Clinic, but was transferred to the Barzilai Hospital as his health has worsened.

He lost over 40 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from pain all over his body and might die any moment.

In the last visit by the lawyers to Kayed in the prison of Al-Ramla Clinic, a lawyer told Kayed’s family that their son was brought to see them while in a wheelchair, Khaled Fasfous, Kayed’s brother, said, adding that Kayed has poor visibility and inability to walk or stand.

Khaled added the Israeli occupation prison administration practices a slow assasination towards his brother, Kayed, especially since he has not been transferred to a civil hospital or diagnosed by a specialist doctor.

On Friday, October 29, Israeli occupation police and intelligence services broke into the hospital where Kayed is held, prevented doctors from seeing him, and handed him an order to reactivate his administrative detention.

Along with Fasfous, there are another five hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners:

•Alaa Al-A’raj (84 days of hunger strike)
•Miqdad Qawasmi (101 days of hunger strike)
•Hisham abu Hawash (75 days of hunger strike)
•Ayyad Harimi (38 days of hunger strike)
•Shadi abu Akaer (67 days of hunger strike)

On Friday, the families of the six Palestinian prisoners sent a letter to the US Congress members and human rights organizations, calling them to save their sons’ lives who might die any moment amid severe health deterioration.

The families said they have turned their appeal to the US Congress and concerned human rights groups as the Biden’s administration and the international community have placed their concern and focus on Israel’s latest settlement expansion and decision to label six Palestinian human rights NGOs as “terror groups.”

The families said the Israeli occupation government is taking advantage of the above-mentioned situation “to impose a blackout of information” on their sons.