Israeli Court freezes administrative detention for hunger-striking Palestinian priosner

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israel’s High Court has frozen on Wednesday the administrative order for the detention of Palestinian prisoner Miqdad Qawasmi who enters today his 77th day of hunger strike.

Qawasmi, a 24-year-old resident of the southern occupied city of Hebron, was detained in January 2021.

He has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 77 consecutive days against his unfair administrative detention without a charge or a trial in Israeli jails, along with five other prisoners: Kayed Fasfous, Alaa Al-A’raj, Hisham abu Hawash, Rayek Bisharat, and Shadi abu Akaer.

Qawasmi has previously spent a total of four years in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation.

The court’s order does not release Qawasmi from administrative detention – it simply freezes the order for the period of his treatment and observation, as his health condition has been deteriorating severely.

But Qawasmi said he will continue his strike until he gains freedom.

The Court’s decision also gives the Israeli Prison Service and Shin Bet a disclaimer of the life of Qawasmi.

Qawasmi’s family and relatives will be able to visit him at the Kaplan Medical Center as a patient, rather than as a detainee, but his family are not allowed to transfer him to any place.

Qawasmi also will be guarded by the hospital security, not by the jailors.

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.